Would Ferrari be missed in F1??
Poll: Would Ferrari be missed in F1??
Total Members Polled: 206
Discussion
F1 would go on without them in the same manner that it went on after Lotus, Tyrell, Brabham et al disappeared. In the same manner, F1 would be the poorer without them.
What must be remembered is that the current Ferrari F1 team is very different to the one that ran under Brawn. The two oldest teams are McLaren and the venerable Williams. The former will probably suffer a name change in a season or so now that Ron's taken a step back and by that time the great pairing of Williams and Head will also head off somewhere else. But F1 will continue without them.
There have been great drivers and great team leaders but the truth is that they are there courtesy of F1.
What must be remembered is that the current Ferrari F1 team is very different to the one that ran under Brawn. The two oldest teams are McLaren and the venerable Williams. The former will probably suffer a name change in a season or so now that Ron's taken a step back and by that time the great pairing of Williams and Head will also head off somewhere else. But F1 will continue without them.
There have been great drivers and great team leaders but the truth is that they are there courtesy of F1.
Derek Smith said:
F1 would go on without them in the same manner that it went on after Lotus, Tyrell, Brabham et al disappeared. In the same manner, F1 would be the poorer without them.
Indeed, and this is where Max and Bernie's arguments collapse. Lotus, for example, have probably done more for innovation in F1 than Ferrari, who, under Enzo, would often be the last to adopt new technology.
k NO!I thought Bernie said that Ferrari would be the only team that would be missed by F1 if they left.
In which case my answer would change from a yes to a very definite no.
Seemed a strange statement to make - yes Ferrari get a lot of support and probably more from the casual observer or man in the street than any of the other teams, but that doesn't mean F1 would seriously suffer without Ferrari, nor that casual "fans" would abandon the sport entirely.
I did wonder whether it's just an attempt by BE to stir some resentment by the other teams within FOTA for Ferrari. After all the last thing he needs for his and MM's divide-and-conquer tactics to work is a united front from all the teams in the championship...
In which case my answer would change from a yes to a very definite no.
Seemed a strange statement to make - yes Ferrari get a lot of support and probably more from the casual observer or man in the street than any of the other teams, but that doesn't mean F1 would seriously suffer without Ferrari, nor that casual "fans" would abandon the sport entirely.
I did wonder whether it's just an attempt by BE to stir some resentment by the other teams within FOTA for Ferrari. After all the last thing he needs for his and MM's divide-and-conquer tactics to work is a united front from all the teams in the championship...
Ferrari are an enormous draw to F1. They have the biggest brand cachet of any marque and have the longest continuous history in GP racing - right back to the early 1930s, if you exlude WW2. Even 30 years ago, promoters of non-championship races would always say you could double attendances if Ferrari were racing, even whenthey were uncompetitive. For so many years, young boys have become fascinated by the Scuderia and I am proud to count myself among them. While I am sure F1 would continue, it would be a poorer product. They are the ultimate benchmark, the best-known name and the biggest merchandise sellers in the sport. It is blinkered, but I would ay less attention to F1 without my beloved red cars to cheer on. Despite today's sanitised team, it is only matching what is now a sanitised sport. Max and Bernie know how much Ferrari are worth; as proven by how much more money they make from TV rights than anyone else. That is tangiable eidence of their popularity.
I think it is a great shame that their sporting stock has lowered to the point of pantomime villain to some people, but that is how it goes, I suppose.
I think it is a great shame that their sporting stock has lowered to the point of pantomime villain to some people, but that is how it goes, I suppose.
Yes, as a team on the grid that provide good quality cars for the racing.
The schumacher era, however, didn't do them any good at all in the publics perception. Those who liked ferrari got on their high horse about how they are the best team ever(conveiniently forgetting mclaren in'88), whilst other fans got annoyed with the tactics and the FIAs blatant favoritism. I was asked a question recently "are ferrari bigger than F1?" My answer, the race team-no, the brand-possibly. I don't think that it would detract from the spectacle of F1 if ferrari were replaced with another team, but to leave a gap on the grid would be a bad thing.
The schumacher era, however, didn't do them any good at all in the publics perception. Those who liked ferrari got on their high horse about how they are the best team ever(conveiniently forgetting mclaren in'88), whilst other fans got annoyed with the tactics and the FIAs blatant favoritism. I was asked a question recently "are ferrari bigger than F1?" My answer, the race team-no, the brand-possibly. I don't think that it would detract from the spectacle of F1 if ferrari were replaced with another team, but to leave a gap on the grid would be a bad thing.
Depends on how well they are doing.
I wouldn't have missed them in the mid ninties when they were hopeless.
I also wouldn't have missed them in the early 2000's when their domination ruined the sport.
However I would have missed them in the last couple of years when they prevented McLaren dominating.
In short, I don't really care what the teams are called so long as the action is good.
I wouldn't have missed them in the mid ninties when they were hopeless.
I also wouldn't have missed them in the early 2000's when their domination ruined the sport.
However I would have missed them in the last couple of years when they prevented McLaren dominating.
In short, I don't really care what the teams are called so long as the action is good.
stifler said:
Yes, as a team on the grid that provide good quality cars for the racing.
The schumacher era, however, didn't do them any good at all in the publics perception. Those who liked ferrari got on their high horse about how they are the best team ever(conveiniently forgetting mclaren in'88), whilst other fans got annoyed with the tactics and the FIAs blatant favoritism. I was asked a question recently "are ferrari bigger than F1?" My answer, the race team-no, the brand-possibly. I don't think that it would detract from the spectacle of F1 if ferrari were replaced with another team, but to leave a gap on the grid would be a bad thing.
McLaren in 1988 were a great team, but the Schumacher-era Ferrari was the most dominant period in GP racing history. The team and cars they had were the best by a great margin for so many years, I don't think you could legitimately argue against it. McLaren '88 was special, but they had huge money from Honda, Ferrari were dealing with Enzo's demise, Lotus were lost without Senna and everyone else was struggling with changing engine regulations. Clark in 1965 and Ascari in 1952/1953 were the only other periods where I believe one team was so completely dominant as the aforementioned years. Of course the other missed opportunity was Mercedes in the 1950s - imagine what they would've done with a bit more practice at post-war GP racing...The schumacher era, however, didn't do them any good at all in the publics perception. Those who liked ferrari got on their high horse about how they are the best team ever(conveiniently forgetting mclaren in'88), whilst other fans got annoyed with the tactics and the FIAs blatant favoritism. I was asked a question recently "are ferrari bigger than F1?" My answer, the race team-no, the brand-possibly. I don't think that it would detract from the spectacle of F1 if ferrari were replaced with another team, but to leave a gap on the grid would be a bad thing.
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