Formula 1
Ferrari boss: Red Bull's "right" claim to a competitive Formula 1 engine was "offensive"
Ferrari president Sergio Marchionne has branded Red Bull’s idea that it had a ‘right’ to a competitive Formula 1 engine as “offensive.
Published: Dec 14, 2015, 5:31 PM
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Ferrari president Sergio Marchionne has branded Red Bull’s idea that it had a ‘right’ to a competitive Formula 1 engine as “offensive.”
The Milton-Keynes-based team’s struggles to secure a 2016 power unit supply was one of the stories of the season after it decided to split with long-term partner Renault, and then courted Mercedes, Ferrari and Honda before announcing it would use Renault engines, albeit badged as TAG Heuer, after all next year.
Red Bull repeatedly threatened to pull out of F1 if it could not find an up-to-date power unit for 2016 as Mercedes opted against supplying the team, Ferrari only offered its year-old engines and McLaren blocked a potential Honda deal.
Speaking at Ferrari’s pre-Christmas press conference, Marchionne explained that without a power unit, Red Bull could not be considered a “strong team.”
He said: "What I find offensive is that somebody considered [it] normal and absolutely rightful to have a good engine. Nobody has the right to get such an engine. Everything has to be defined, in proper times for these specific terms.
"Is a team strong in terms of chassis if it has no engine? It is not a complete team. A team is strong when it has strong drivers, strong chassis and a strong power unit."
The Ferrari and Fiat boss also used the meeting as an opportunity to attack the overly complex nature of the way F1’s regulations are worded.
He said: "The rules we have in F1 have nothing to do with rules in motorbikes. They are two different approaches. We need lawyers to properly interpret the rules and we cannot go on like that.
"Talking about scrapping the system, I think we should scrap that system in terms of the complexity of the rules because it is not digestible."
Marchionne also described his hopes that Kimi Raikkonen would have a “phenomenal season” in 2016 and that he had already seen improvements in the Finn’s performances after the 2007 world champion settled into family life following the birth of his first child earlier this year.
He said: "If I can give you some encouraging information, it's that I have seen a huge change in Kimi during the season. The second half was much better than the first; it was like watching a movie - where the second bit is better than the first.
"The fact he is married with a kid – he showed me a picture because he is a proud father – is also reflective of the changes in his own life. He is becoming a lot more settled, which I think will be helpful in 2016. I think he will be the most engaged we have seen him the last little while.
"I am delighted he is part of the team. We have two drivers and they do compete. It happened to Seb [Vettel], he has had a phenomenal year in his first year, and I am expecting that Kimi will rise up to the challenge and have a phenomenal season in 2016.”
Do you agree with Marchionne that the language in F1 rules needs simplifying? Do you expect Raikkonen to improve in 2016? Leave your thoughts in the comment section below.
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