Italian executive Sergio Marchionne, who is currently the Chairman of CNH Industrial, the Chairman & CEO of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, the Chairman and CEO of Ferrari and also Chairman of Maserati, has reiterated his threat to pull the famous marque out of Formula 1 should it turn into a ‘spectacle’ rather than a ‘sport’.
American mass media company Liberty Media is pushing the entertainment factor and a need for increased overtaking and on-track action, but Sergio Marchionne says this must not turn F1 into NASCAR by artificially creating action, insisting that the Maranello team will quit if the new rules aren’t in their favour: “If F1 becomes more of a spectacle than a sport, if we go in the direction of NASCAR races, then Ferrari will leave,” he said at a shareholders’ meeting in Amsterdam, via AFP.
“If there are any proposals that distort F1, I think Ferrari will pull out…”
Sergio Marchionne has confirmed that Ferrari are working with Liberty Media to find a “compromise” following a recent meeting during the Bahrain Grand Prix in which the sport’s owners outlined plans for the future: “We are working with Liberty Media to find acceptable solutions. We had a proposal from Liberty 10 days ago, we expect to know the details and then we will make choices in the interest of Ferrari. We could look for alternative solutions, it’s not a threat, but it does not mean we stop shopping,” he said, likely hinting at Formula E, which Ferrari have rejected in the past.
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