Left field

Why Ferrari is Formula One

One month on, and it appears to be all over. Ferrari won. In the war of the brands, it was no contest. And, in the end, it was Bernie Ecclestone who saw the writing on the wall for F1, too.

After a Paris breakfast with Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo on Wednesday, he told FIA president Max Mosley it was over. No more crusades, no more rows over rules and no more daft outbursts. Ecclestone had to save the F1 brand, protect the investment of CVC Capital and his own interests, and make sure his old friend and ally knew what to expect: Game Over, Max.

Even if Mosley is now threatening to stay in his post after being angered by some team comments to the press, really, we should have all seen his exit coming.

This is what Ferrari wrote on their own website on Monday: “Maranello, 22nd June 2009 – The British magazine SportsPro published a list of the world’s 200 most valuable sports properties. The Team Ferrari is the highest ranked European team property, place seven overall, behind the big US-American organisations such as NFL, MLB and NBA. Ferrari is followed by Manchester United Football Club and Formula 1. The classification has been set up using various factors such as the balance, the brand name’s prestige and other factors.”

And this is what they announced on Wednesday: “Maranello, 24th June 2009 – Today the FIA World Council accepted the proposals formulated by FOTA for the 2010 Formula 1 World Championship. A Championship, which will be held, as suggested by FOTA, in the spirit of sporting and technological competition, with clear and fixed rules and transparent governance, handled by the F1 Commission.

The objective is to avoid continual changes decided on by one person alone and to gradually reduce costs, to get back to levels of spending similar to those of the early Nineties within the next two years. The FOTA teams constantly promoted these objectives in the interests of motorsport and all its protagonists, first and foremost the fans.”

Monaco madness

You can charter Flavio Briatore’s Force Blue ‘yacht’ for $235,000 a week during the low season. For that, you get five decks, a gymnasium, Turkish steam bath, cinema and cabin space for 12 guests.

There’s also a mud bath and massage room.

Unfortunately it’s not available during Monaco Grand Prix week, but then life is full of disappointments.

Somehow I suspect that Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone and the team bosses, including Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo, didn’t get the most out of the facilities during several hours on board on Friday talking about the future of the sport.

The irony of the fact that they were meeting on a boat that probably cost its owner a sizeable chunk of the 40 million pound budget cap that they were so opposed to was not lost on those waiting on the wrong end of the gangway.

I might as well come straight out and admit that I love the Monaco Grand Prix.

Ferrari boss not a fan of television

Angry Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo smashed a television at the end of last season after watching Lewis Hamilton snatch the title off Felipe Messa on the final bend in Brazil.

Now more TV sets are in jeopardy given his team have gone from Formula One champions to a laughing stock after just two races of the new season.

Winners of eight of the last 10 constructors’ titles, they have yet to score a point after bungled races in Australia and Malaysia.

“I don’t want to find us on some sort of TV comedy video programme after each race,” Montezemolo said. “Joking apart, I know that this group is known for its strong sense of pride and that will help us get out of this situation.”

Montezemolo doesn’t mince his words despite being a member of Italian aristocracy and president of Fiat. I think it makes a nice refreshing change from the usual banal stuff sports personalities often spout.