Formula One: Ferrari threatens to quit the sport

Ferrari has threatened to quit Formula One, as they are not in agreement with the engine plans that Liberty Media has for the sport.

Ferrari has threatened to leave Formula One completely following the 2020 season, as they appear to be at odds with some of the plans that Liberty Media has for the sport going forward, namely their 2021 engine plans.

Liberty Media acquired Formula One earlier this year, and Ferrari isn’t the only engine manufacturer that has expressed their doubts and concerns about the company’s vision for the future of the sport.

In fact, the only one of the four engine manufacturers that hasn’t is Honda, and that may simply be because they have not yet commented on the 2021 engine plans. Both Mercedes and Renault, the other two engine manufacturers in the sport, also expressed their doubts over the plans, claiming that the proposal is flawed.

Here is what Toto Wolff, the executive director of the Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport team, had to say about those plans, per ESPN.

"“This is their vision and proposal and we haven’t accepted it. The flaw of the concept is that it’s a completely new engine and new investment. It portrays it in a way of this is how we’re going forward and none of the current OEMs (car manufacturers in F1) was particularly impressed. The new concept needs to tackle the deficit that has been outlined — development costs and noise level — and all that needs to be linked with a global view of F1. We haven’t seen any of that.”"

And here is what Cyril Abiteboul, the managing director the Renault Sport team, had to say about them, per ESPN.

"“I don’t see how what has been presented would be offering a model for an independent engine manufacturer. Maybe it would lower the cost of access for a car maker, but you would still need a substantial amount of marketing dollars to spend into research and development to make any business plan work for the new engine.”“And that is actually our problem, that we need to spend again, just like a new entrant would have to spend. But I don’t think an Ilmor or a Cosworth will be able to go for it independently without the subsidises of another car company.”“My problem with the removal of the MGU-H is that as soon as you do that it is a new engine. It fundamentally changes the way the energy is managed within the engine, the way the turbo is working and so on and so forth. It is a new combustion concept, a new way to manage turbo lag and efficiency, so it is new design of turbo.”"

In Formula One, Ferrari engines currently power the cars of the Scuderia Ferrari, Haas and Sauber teams, while Mercedes engines currently power the cars of Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport, Sahara Force India and Williams Martini Racing and Renault engines currently power the cars of Red Bull Racing, Scuderia Toro Rosso and Renault Sport.

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So with all three of those engine manufacturers seemingly having problems with Liberty Media’s engine plans, nine of the 10 teams in Formula One are affected. It very well could be 10 out of 10 if Honda doesn’t favor the plans. The lone team that Honda powers right now is McLaren, although that is set to change next season when McLaren switched to Renault and Honda leaves for Scuderia Toro Rosso.

However, the problems that Mercedes and Renault have in regard to those plans may not be enough to prompt them to do what Ferrari is considering doing because of them. Here is what Ferrari chairman and CEO Sergio Marchionne had to say about those and about potentially leaving Formula One as a result of them, per ESPN.

"“Liberty has got a couple of good intentions in all of this, one of which is to reduce the cost of execution of the team which I think is good. [But] there are a couple of things we don’t necessarily agree with. One is the fact that somehow powertrain uniqueness is not going to be one of the drivers of distinctiveness of the participants’ line-up. I would not countenance this going forward.”“The fact that we now appear to be at odds in terms of the strategic development of this thing, and we see the sport in 2021 taking on a different air, is going to force some decisions on the part of Ferrari.”“I understand that Liberty may have taken this into account in coming up with their views, but I think it needs to be absolutely clear that unless we find a set of circumstances the results of which are beneficial to the maintenance of the brand, and the marketplace, and to the strengthening of the unique position for Ferrari, Ferrari will not play.”"

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Are Ferrari’s years in Formula One numbered as a result of Liberty Media’s engine plans for the 2021 season, or is the engine manufacturer simply trying to throw a scare into the company that just acquired the sport since Ferrari is very prestigious and has such a great history in Formula One? We may not know for at least another three years.

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