Montezemolo: Formula 1 must be the pinnacle

In his meeting with journalists at “Wrooom,” Ferrari President Luca di Montezemolo covered every aspect of the current state of play of Formula 1 and its future. On speculation regarding talks aimed at renewing the Concorde Agreement, Montezemolo’s thoughts were as follows: “I expect Formula 1 will remain as the highest expression of technology, of motor sport and in terms of the spectacle. There needs to be constructive dialogue between the International Federation, the commercial rights holder and the teams. These latter have to be competitive, must be able to invest and to maintain themselves at a high level. On top of that, you need stability in the regulations so that the teams can plan their investments and in order for the public to understand what is going on. I do not believe in the budget cap or cost control, which are always impossible to verify: reduction in costs comes through regulation changes, both on the technical and sporting front, without forgetting the links to industrial production and technical innovation for the motor industry of the future, because we want cars, not rockets.”

Luca di Montezemolo also spoke in very plain terms about the current situation at FOTA. “If the teams know how to remain united and work in constructive fashion, as part of the virtuoso triangle alongside the FIA and the commercial rights holder, than this organisation has a future. When I was president, it was a different more difficult time, whereas now the atmosphere is calmer. The fact remains that Formula 1 has to be the highest level of this sport therefore there cannot be too big a gap between the big and small teams in terms of how competitive they are.”

As to allegations that Red Bull overspent on its budget and on comments made by Helmut Marko, the Ferrari President had this to say. “I have heard these stories, but I don’t know if they are true. If they turn out to be correct, then it shows that our long held view that we are against an artificial cap is the right one: it is impossible to run checks when for example, there are companies involved which can manufacture in various countries. Plus there are always polemical situations in Formula. I am pleased to see that, after the Brawn comet and its titles which, might I say came with some technical “drug taking” we then had another team taking both titles last year, one that is maybe not yet in the habit of winning: it’s part of the game and its great, but maybe when others have won 10% of what Ferrari has won, then they can also have their say.”

The meeting could not end without a nod to the idea of staging a Grand Prix in Rome. “I said it at the Christmas dinner with the Italian media: the teams’ view is not to exceed a certain number of races per year: already the season goes on forever,” said Montezemolo. “The preference is to have Grands Prix in new countries in important markets, first off in the United States, rather than have two races in Germany, Spain, or eventually Italy. Therefore, Ecclestone’s letter is not a failure for Rome, but the awareness that there is a desire to have just one Grand Prix in Italy. Alternating it with Monza? We would need to see if that suits Ecclestone, if the conditions are right, if the two cities can agree, while not forgetting that Monza is a permanent circuit that is part of the history of Formula 1.”