Piero Ferrari gives verdict on Ferrari’s return to Le Mans and F1’s future. Interview with Piero Ferrari.

Piero Ferrari applauds the return of Ferrari to the 24 Hours of Le Mans to compete for the tenth overall victory of a Maranello car in 2023, which is the year of the centenary of the prestigious Sarthe race.

“It’s a great thing – admits the Ferrari vice president to Motorsport.com – I have not had the opportunity to investigate the Hypercar regulations, but I hope that there will be no surprises as in the past, when with the BoP they made winners who ever they wanted. We will be back after 50 years and all of this will have a great impact.”

The Scuderia, therefore, is looking for another prestigious stage and will not be limited only to Formula 1 …
“I recently spoke to Bernie Ecclestone with whom I sometimes talk on the phone – continues Piero Ferrari – Formula 1 must be a sport that returns offering a show which entertains fans: we have very fast single-seaters with very advanced technology that nobody knows about.”

True, but it is the teams who want to keep certain solutions top secret, rather than divulge the most innovative concepts…
“Sure, because some ideas are covered by patents. We spend terrifying amounts and then keep everything under wraps. Can you explain to me what sense does it make?”

The concepts could be made known and perhaps not the technical secrets…
“Look, the discourse is broader: with the effects of the pandemic it is not possible to follow F1 except through television. We are running the fastest single-seaters in history, but the images that come to us from the TV fail to give those sensations that you experience when you are on the circuit. What comes to the people, to the fans, is something different.”

“These are F1s that go over 330 km / h, but looking at them on video you don’t have the feeling of a different speed compared to a Formula 2 race. And, then, I wonder what sense it makes to invest huge sums in solutions which contribute little to the show. And I am not among those opposed to technological research, on the contrary.”

To keep costs down, the budget cap was introduced…
“Sure, but we still need to work on the engines that still cost as much as they used to, although they are limited to three units per driver per season”.