Ferrari Could Have Looked Outside the Box as F1 Crumbled

The true Ferrari road cars started with the 166 which were developed from the 125 range of race-oriented cars. The 125 S debuted at the Circuito di Piacenza; although it was a failure at its maiden grand prix, the 125 S won six of its fourteen races in 1947. 

In 2007, the company was celebrating its sixtieth anniversary, having enjoyed a history of successes, failures, tragedies and triumphs in an eventful Six decades after the debut of the F1 racer, as well as the company’s first road going car.

Two years later, two constructor championships later Ferrari’s Board of Directors, chaired by Luca di Montezemolo, confirmed that the Italian company won’t be competing in Formula 1 in 2010. 

The announcement did not come as much of a surprise and neither did their Ferrari’s announcement that the team were considering competing in other Motor-sport series. 

The decision to reconsider the team’s involvement in Formula 1 has been the direct result of the FIA’s announcement to introduce a budget cap for 2010 and consider a two-tier Formula style championship.  The decision by the FIA, and actions of the FOTA in the matter resulted in the threat of a civil war between the two parties.

Since that fateful day the two sides in this conflict have reached an understanding and the 2010 F1 season is set to begin next March.  Certainly the rules are not in place, however there is now progress, and fans have something to look forward to.

Yet what would have happened, had the FIA not backed down, and had the FOTA members not shared Ferrari’s point of view?  What if Ferrari did leave the sport it has been part of since its very beginning?  Would F1 survive as a successful sport, or would it fall apart? 

There are those out there that clearly support the idea that without the presence of Ferrari in the sport the sport is not really F1.  There are those that consider the presence of Ferrari in Formula One as necessary for the sport; Ferrari is seen as a marker to measure one’s true success and superiority against. 

Throughout history Ferrari has been synonymous with F1, sports car racing, endurance racing, before being considered a luxury automobile maker. The very reason that Ferrari road cars were built was to bankroll the company’s competition wing. 

The team has been involved in various Motor-sport series throughout the decades, taking championships and winning Grand Prix along the way.  The history of involvement in such classics as Mille Millia, Le Mans, Monte Carlo Rally, Group B Series, and many more demonstrates that Ferrari, despite its logo, is not a one horse team.

Thus, had Ferrari made good on the threat, the team would be successfully competing in another series. 

The question remains, however, where would Ferrari go? 

The 288 GTO Evoluzione was the car with which, in the 1980s, Ferrari intended to take on and beat Porsche’s high-tech 959 Group-B racer.  The 1982 established series, Group B, folded after the death of Henri Toivonen and his co-driver in the 1986 Tour de Corse.

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