Luca di Montezemolo, former Chairman of Ferrari, was recently interviewed by Italian daily general-interest newspaper “La Repubblica” and discussed about the future of Formula 1, as he waits for the major changes and decisions made by Formula One’s new owners, Liberty Media Corporation.
The former long-time Ferrari president, commented on Bernie Ecclestone‘s departure from F1: “The other day I had a long conversation with Ecclestone, he asked me if I could lend him a hand in finding a job. Joking aside, what happened was inevitable. You can not ask a 86-year-old to be the man of change. Nor can you ask a group that has invested 8.5 billion dollars not to modernize a business that needed major changes, and that currently is not in line with the expectations and culture of the new owners” – said Luca di Montezemolo, on the recent changes to Formula One’s organizational chart.
What would be, in his opinion, the best future for Formula 1? – “The races should be shorter, improved communication, simplified regulations and there should be much more continuity as far as the rules are concerned. And most importantly they should consolidate the concept that Formula 1 is a sport with a tradition on our historic European circuits. No more nonsense like a Grand Prix in Korea or India. In the United States it is good, but one, two races at the most. Finally, the public must be brought back to the circuits: no sport survives without an audience.” – Luca di Montezemolo explained.
Regarding the drivers, the former Ferrari Chairman added: “They are a separate chapter: first of all they should be allowed to speak and get more involved. Have you ever seen a press conferences in recent years? They are all fake. Everyone says the same thing, which is absolutely nothing. And they no longer make a difference: Enzo Ferrari used to say that a victory depended 50 percent on the car and 50 on the pilot. Today it is 80-20. You could even be Nimbus Kid, then comes a middle-level young driver but with a better car and he wins”.
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