Ferrari's F1 hokey cokey

Ferrari

Ferrari's F1 hokey cokey

A light-hearted look at Ferrari's in-out of F1 threats

Ian Parkes

Thursday 23 April 2020 12:10 Updated: 12:30

So what are your first thoughts when you read the headline today 'Ferrari threatens to quit Formula 1 over...."?

Did you stop reading? Did you yawn? I've deliberately stopped the sentence there as you could insert your own words from at any time over the past two decades and you would likely find something that raised the ire of those in charge, leading to them ominously to suggest they would walk away.

Ferrari has since clarified the latest comments aired from team principal Mattia Binotto, that he never mentioned about the marque quitting, but rather if the currently proposed budget cap is reduced further then Ferrari "would not want to be put in a position of having to look at other further options for deploying our racing DNA".

Ferrari evaluating Formula 1 future over 'demanding' budget capRead more

You could argue the semantics over the wording, but there is a case anyway of 'Oh no, here we go again'.

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So here at GPFans we have taken a light-hearted trip down memory lane to look at all those other occasions when Ferrari has issued threats over its F1 participation.

2017

Towards the end of this year, during a conference call with analysts to discuss the team's latest financial results, then president Sergio Marchionne warned of a potential doomsday scenario.

The talking point at this time was Liberty Media's plans with regard to engines, in particular, a lack of "powertrain uniqueness", according to Marchionne, who said that if the right platform was not found that benefited his organisation, then "Ferrari will not play" after 2020, as it was committed to the sport up to that point.

2015

Engines were again at the forefront of this threat, again from Marchionne, late this year. Jean Todt and Bernie Ecclestone had been appointed by the World Motor Sport Council to make recommendations on such things as cost reduction, governance, and notably, power units. Marchionne made clear that if proposals for a budget engine were pushed through then "Ferrari would find other ways to express its ability to race and to win".

2009

Now, this might ring a bell. Budget caps! Then FIA president Max Mosley was ploughing full steam ahead with a plan to introduce a £40million cap, which naturally resulted in incredulity from a number of teams, spearheaded by Ferrari. A statement at the time read: "If the regulations adopted for 2010 will not change, then Ferrari does not intend to enter its cars in the next Formula One World Championship".

2008

What? Engines again? Yep, I'm afraid so. The FIA had announced plans to standardise engines and transmissions from 2010. Unsurprisingly, following a board meeting, Ferrari said: "We feel such a move would detract from the entire raison d’etre of a sport with which Ferrari has been involved since 1950, a raison d’etre based principally on competition and technological development. The board expressed the opinion that should these elements be diminished, Ferrari would re-evaluate continuing in the sport."

2004

On this occasion, Ferrari was actually seeking more money, as they and a number of other manufacturers felt they deserved a larger slice of F1's profits. At the time boss Luca Di Montezemolo said: "They must be aware that after 2007 the value of the old Formula One will fall to zero if there's no consensus. They would be left standing like a Hollywood producer without any actors. If there's no solution, then from 2008 there will be a new series organised on our behalf."