Could there still be an F1 without Ferrari? (merged)

[Testure]

Well I'd sooner lose Ferrari than lose the other 9 teams, that's for sure They're the most famous F1 team, no question. Ask a random member of the public and you'll find that "Schumacher" and "Ferrari" are the most well-known names in F1.

People talk a lot of wind about the team too, I think. Passion this and history that. For a generation and more, Lotus was F1. They symbolised technical innovation more than any other team ever has, in particular, I think. But they died. And the sport continued. Ferrari have the history card to play, sure, but that doesn't mean we can't continue without them. It would be just like Lotus - we'd look back with nostalgia, but would move onto bigger and better things...

[Knowlesy]

Lotus was a terrible, terrible loss, but you forgot the loss quickly because the game is more important than those who participate.

[Lotusonpole]

F1 would survive if Ferrari pulled out.
Wouldn't be quite the same but not necessarily worse.
Same was said when Lotus called it a day, and F1 is still here for better or worse but its still here.
Originally Ferrari made road cars to fund their racing and still do to a degree, but if they stopped racing I wonder how long it would take for people to think of them as sporty FIAT's and it be true?

Cheers
Peter

[jj2728]

Ferrari are the ONLY team that have been around since the inception of modern day grand prix racing, ie., 1950.....before they went on their current run of total domination many people thought of them as the loveable losers, the team that 'malgrado'( italian for: in spite of) would find a way to lose more often than win. Yet they have always had the 'allure', for lack of a better word, that any of the other teams past or present just plain fail to have. Sure it is always sad to lose a team however prestigious and some people have mentioned the passing of lotus. But when lotus left they were nothing more than a shell of their former self much the same as tyrrell. face it, f1 is ferrari as much as ferrari is f1. they both need each other. irregardless of how you feel about the team, f1 without ferrari would only be a shell of its former self. and that is a fact.

[Testure]

Guess I just don't agree that they would be a catastrophic loss. F1 and Ferrari are inextricably linked, yes, but it doesn't necessarily follow from that that "f1 without ferrari would only be a shell of its former self". It "just" means that it would be a terrible loss. They're by far the most recognised name for the casual fan, but I have to believe that the sport is stronger these days than some people here seem to think that it is.

[Kicking-back]

Ferrari back in the fifties were clearly a big pull too.

They were just as cynical about their worth when it came to demands over appearance money etc....

[Marbot]

It'd be just one less race in Italy .And when TGF retires, one less race in Germany too .

Yes i think F1 wil get along just fine without Ferrari, but i also think they'll be around for a while yet,in one guise or another.

[Inigo Montoya]

Originally Posted by martyn bott

It'd be just one less race in Italy .And when TGF retires, one less race in Germany too .

Yes i think F1 wil get along just fine without Ferrari, but i also think they'll be around for a while yet,in one guise or another.

Hmmm.. Just fine without Ferrari, eh? And Michael retiring would be fine too, eh? Have a look at the TV ratings thread . Seems to me that the loss of Ferrari and Michael would take down the TV numbers (huge, compared to British) of both Italy and Germany...

[Gabrio]

I do agree. It would hurt commercially.

[Rich R]

i still can't comprehend how some people don't seem to think it would be a big deal to lose arguably the most famous team in the history of motor racing. yes f1 would go on, but to me and the millions of others it wouldn't be the same, i'm not saying i wouldn't watch f1 any more, but the mere presence of a ferrari on the grid adds something to any race, regardless of how competitive the car actually is.

[Rich R]

i'm not trying to imply that everyone should love and worship ferrari btw, or even saying that the current(or past) regimes at the team are without fault, sorry if i came off a bit strong previously.

[Testure]

Everyone seems to agree that "it wouldn't be the same". The difference is some people thinking "it'd be a disaster!" and some thinking "well, if we can do without Lotus/BRM/Tyrrell/etc, we can learn to live without Ferrari". A fine line there

[Lotusonpole]

Spot on Testure.
for me at least.

Cheers
Peter

[hgmonaro]

I wouldn't loose any sleep...

[Lotusonpole]

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Peter

[Gt_R]

Indeed..we have survived in F1 after Lotus / Tyrell left...but FRANKLY...Ferrari is greater than them...and when Lotus/Tyrell/etc etc left.. Ferrari is still around.

It's like having a Grammy's without any star performers, but a bunch of teen bands.

[pole2pole]

There is know one team bigger than the sport itself. Formula one gets new fans everyday and not all of them are ferrari fans.

[ASCII Man]

Uhm...
The grammy's?

[Knowlesy]

I wouldn't say that Ferrari are any greater than Lotus. If you compare their time spent together in F1 when Chapman was alive and Enzo alive, Lotus were rather more impressive.

[Rich R]

when all the great teams of the past have eventually vanished from the sport it has usually been with a whimper, shadows of their former glory. if ferrari were to leave f1 now they would be at their peak as one of the most dominant teams ever. the only teams i can think off the top of my head who left f1 whilst still on top would be alfa romeo in 1951 and mercedes in 1955. and f1 definately lost out without these 2 great names on the grid(shame about alfa's eventual return), but yes it did still carry on(technically not in 52 and 53, f2 rules).

[ysofast]

I don't watch f1 just to see the red cars win but I did start watching because of ferrari(they succed then btw)

[Gabrio]

Personally, I care about technology and the sport in itself. I am no maniac about either drivers or brands. So of course there would still be F1 without Ferrari. It would just be harder to market around the world.

[Dixie Flatline]

Originally Posted by jj2728

Ferrari are the ONLY team that have been around since the inception of modern day grand prix racing, ie., 1950.....before they went on their current run of total domination many people thought of them as the loveable losers, the team that 'malgrado'( italian for: in spite of) would find a way to lose more often than win. Yet they have always had the 'allure', for lack of a better word, that any of the other teams past or present just plain fail to have. Sure it is always sad to lose a team however prestigious and some people have mentioned the passing of lotus. But when lotus left they were nothing more than a shell of their former self much the same as tyrrell. face it, f1 is ferrari as much as ferrari is f1. they both need each other. irregardless of how you feel about the team, f1 without ferrari would only be a shell of its former self. and that is a fact.

I have to say that I agree with jj2728.

Thanks to the dominance of Ferrari and in particular Michael Schumacher over the past four years, many fans around the world have come to associate Ferrari with Formula One.

Take Ferrari out of Formula One, and it becomes much harder to market the sport to the public. The thinking might be, why should I go pay A$100 (for example, to go to the Aussie GP) when I have no idea who is racing, and why they are said to be so good? I used to go because I love Ferrari, but they're not there any more.

So once the gate begins to drop off, and the television rights are worth less, sponsors of other teams might say, well, we're not getting the same value for money for our sponsorship dollar as we used to, so they put in less money or pull out altogether. This causes the remaining teams to be able to afford less and less on their cars, which dilutes the spectacle of Formula One.

It might sound far-fetched to some, but when you look at the marketing effect that Ferrari contributes to the whole spectacle of Formula One around the world, removing Ferrari from the sport would have a tremendous knock-on effect that might conceivably leave us with a sport that might be called Formula One, but not be Formula One in name.

[Mattracer]

Possibly true- but the it may also be attributed to the perceived manufacturer involvement. Ferrari is is Ferrari, but peel back the layers and you find a multi-national company drawing on the best engineering minds from wherever they come from, not just Italy. Just like the other teams which are variously seen as British, French or Italian but have a similar makeup really.

[Gabrio]

Of course. But marketing is the same everywhere.