Ferrari chairman, John Elkann, believes that sport organisers and regulators are only motivated by money and power.

Ahead of the weekend's Italian Grand Prix, Ferrari chairman, John Elkann held his, now traditional interview with Gazzetta dello Sport.

As has been previously reported, the Italian-American spoke of his hopes for Ferrari - a title by 2026 - the team's driver pairing - the strongest on the grid - and his faith in Mattia Binotto - though there are too many mistakes.

However, as he spoke about other matters, such as Juventas, Ferrari's entry in Hypercars, the first electric Ferrari and Italian sport in general, there was one little gem that warranted re-reading... and then re-reading again.

"I'm worried about what's going on around football and professional sports in general," said Elkann. "At the heart of the system should be the fans, the athletes and the teams.

"But there is a dangerous drift which works in favour of the middlemen," he continued, "the organisers and regulators who are putting the world of sport in a difficult position because the only thing that motivates them is money and power."

This from the chairman of a team which not only has the power of veto over F1's regulations, but also picks up more in prize money than the championship winners.

While the current FIA president has no ties to Ferrari, unlike his predecessor Jean Todt, who spent 16 years with the Maranello outfit, two of the most senior officials at F1, CEO Stefano Domenicali and MD Ross Brawn, both enjoyed success at the Scuderia.

Discuss.

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1. Posted by Lapps, 15/09/2022 7:07

"Yes, sadly our favorite event can no longer really qualify as a ‘sport’. It seems to now be a closed-shop of Motor Manufacturers, TV Channels and ‘investors’ whose motivation is either return-on-investment or brand image.
In a sport, anyone who qualifies can come and compete.

I know that it has been tried (unsuccessfully) before, but is it possible that someone (perhaps the longest competing F1 Team?) could create a true ‘sporting’ championship? It failed before, but one tactical error Liberty may have made is creating more Circuits than they can accommodate in a years Calendar. The intent was to be able to play them off against each other for fees, but the result is to create excess Venues who may be very happy to host a new Series!
Ah well, we live in hope. Please let Ferrari’s comments have been a straw in the wind. "

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2. Posted by kenji, 15/09/2022 0:39

"@ Bill Hopgood....For long time afficionados like us, the past holds many fabulous memories of battles betweenteams and races that live on as immortal events. But...times are changing and have been for some time. I have a recently minted adult grandson and he is like most teenagers, hardly interested at all in what happened in the past..his interests lie in the now and deviation from that is highly unlikely. My first race attendance was the British GP at Silverstone in 1960! That was 62 years ago and I still have fond memories but that's all they are as they have no relevance today and so it is with newly minted followers...tomorrow is what absorbs them. It's just the way it is...."

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3. Posted by BillH, 14/09/2022 19:15

"Sunday used to be, "when the flag drops, the bull s@#t stops" however now, I don't think that is the case.

Liberty Media having coughed up a significant load of dosh have every right to try and get more eggs out of the golden goose, we'd all do the same. That being said, there is no need to force feed the goose and extract it's liver on the way to trying to push up the egg yield.

Think about what separates F1 (or any great event) from just another series or race and for many it is the history of the championship, the teams and the venues.

Something that the decision makers at F1 need to keep in mind that all those iconic battles and so on occur at places like Spa, Silverstone, Monza and so on, so when we read about threats to the future of those races, it doesn't bode well for a future worth watching.
Even newer tracks such as COTA in Texas, having become established, seem to have the squeeze put on them which helps no one.
To hear the commentators this past weekend say things like "what good news it is that Monza will be on the calendar next year" is nice but ridiculous at the same time. Monza, provided it is up to safety and fan, and team experience standard should be a core event, same for Spa, Suzuka, Silverstone even Monaco.
Imagine IndyCar without the Indy 500 or the WEC without the 24 Hours Le Mann.
That wouldn't happen.

In short, I see what the CEO of Ferrari is getting at, though I wonder why on earth he hasn't piped up sooner.

In fact, the teams really need to get their s!@t together and present a united front and so too should the engine manufacturers like they do in MotoGP.
"

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4. Posted by Defiant, 14/09/2022 17:28

"I think Greybeard hit the nail on the head."

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5. Posted by Greybeard, 14/09/2022 14:19

"Time to accept that F1 is actually 'Show Business' not Sport. Netflix will continue to bend the truth into something more ratings-positive. Sprint races, reverse grids, random penalties, random safety cars and resyarts, show business celebs in the cmmentary box as well as on the grid and so on will become part of 'the show' to satisfy the limited attention span of the target audience.

That won't leave much time for racing as a sport. But the money - think of all that lovely money..."

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6. Posted by Max Noble, 14/09/2022 11:55

"Perfect observation, made for imperfect gain? Or for the gain of the fans? Or… for what reason? The simple fact remains it is a correct observation… So where now? Any Kingdoms going for a Horse right now?"

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Sport organisers and regulators only motivated by money and power... says Ferrari chairman

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