Formula 1 "is walking a tightrope" as Liberty Media plans to "grow the sport" in the U.S., Ferrari Chair Sergio Marchionne warned, according to Alan Baldwin of REUTERS. Marchionne, who is also CEO of Fiat Chrysler, "recognized there was a big opportunity to win new audiences" in the U.S. but said that the sport’s heritage "had to be respected." He said, "I think it’s fair to say that (F1 chairman) Chase (Carey) and I agree we need space in the United States. I think there is an opportunity here, if we do the things right, to make this a relevant sport in the U.S. environment. And if we do that I think it will benefit the sport tremendously. But I put a big proviso on this. We need to be careful that this desire to make us attractive to the American public doesn’t end up sapping away the DNA of a sport that has some noble origins." Marchionne highlighted the U.S. Grand Prix in Austin that saw "big fight boxing announcer Michael Buffer present drivers to the crowd individually" before the race and then make his "signature call" of "Let’s get ready to rumble." Marchionne added, "We’re walking a tightrope on this because if we go too far to try and appeal... The performance down in Austin and the way in which we arranged the show was not what I think a Formula 1 event ought to be. But it was part of a trial and error exercise, I don’t think it worked incredibly well. I think a lot of the Europeans were somewhat taken aback by what happened." Marchionne said that a threat made last month to take Ferrari out of the sport after '20, if F1 made changes that were "not in the Italian team’s interests, was real but there was enough time to sort things out" (REUTERS, 12/3).
'MARRIAGE OF CONVENIENCE': CRASH's Luke Smith reported Red Bull Team Principal Christian Horner "doubts Ferrari will quit the sport despite its recent threats following sister brand Alfa Romeo’s return to the grid" for '18. He said, "[Alfa Romeo] come under the same management as Sergio, so I can’t believe he’d have brought Alfa Romeo in for Ferrari to be leaving in a couple of years." Horner added, "Formula 1 needs Ferrari and Ferrari needs Formula 1. It’s a marriage of convenience in many respects but both entities ultimately need each other. And we certainly want Ferrari in Formula 1. It’s one of the biggest brands in the world and they are a great team to compete against" (CRASH, 12/3).
