F1 Must Change to Prosper

Bernard Asset and Bernard Cahier

One of the greatest pieces of good fortune a man can have is the opportunity to combine his passion and his work. And that is exactly what happened to me when Enzo Ferrari gave me the opportunity to work as manager of the Scuderia in 1974. That marked the start of an extraordinary story that eventually resulted in my becoming chairman of the company and have remained so for the last 20 years. I still go through the same emotions on the eve of a race. I sit down anxiously in front of the TV to watch the action, and no sooner has the car gone back to the pits that I call my guys at the track to get the blow-by-blow account of how things went.

However, this passion hasn't prevented me from realizing that Formula 1 has to change if it is to continue as one of the world's biggest sports, a sport matched only in popularity by the Olympics and the Football World Cup which, don't forget, are held only every four years. To ensure that happens, we, the other teams, FIA and the holder of the commercial rights have to work together and remember the fundamental values that underpin Formula 1. We also have to listen to what the fans are telling us. And that includes those coming to the sport for the first time, such as those in China and India. The world has changed over the last 20 years and Formula 1 hasn't always kept pace with the times. People have often wanted to change the regulations in a rather artificial attempt to make it what is deemed to be more spectacular, without understanding that the very stability and transparency of a sport's rules are fundamental to its success. Now, however, we have to think about the future, both long and short term.

Let's not forget that Formula 1 is, and must remain, a competition in which drivers and teams compete against each other using cutting-edge automotive technology. The transfer of ideas and solutions from the track to the road remains one of the main reasons for Ferrari's continued involvement. That is why we have to put the brakes on certain excesses that have made aerodynamics practically the only factor that distinguishes one team from the next: We make cars, not rockets. That is why we also have to create the conditions that will permit the big constructors to return to the sport. To do so, we have to strike the correct balance between them and the private teams by modulating costs, not to the extent that they are cheap but so that they will give everyone the opportunity to prove what they can do. This is why I have once again proposed that the single-seaters fielded by Ferrari, McLaren and Red Bull should also be made available to the smaller teams: It would boost the standard of competition while keeping costs at an acceptable level. Wouldn't it be a positive thing for Formula 1 to have, for example, a Ferrari fielded by a Chinese team with a local driver at the wheel?

We also have to find a better compromise to allow emerging young drivers to build experience on the track and not just in virtual reality simulators. Formula 1 is now the only sport that bans training once the championship has started, and that is quite simply no longer acceptable: The teams can't be allowed to lock themselves up in ivory towers and lose contact with the asphalt, the scream of the engines and the enthusiasm of the spectators in the stands.

We can't risk Formula 1 becoming a sterile sport that's drifted too far from the people and is experienced only on screen. The new media tools are essential to reaching an increasingly vast audience. However, we should not lose sight of the fans who come to the track. That means making Grand Prix tickets less expensive, boosting promotion of the events, particularly in nations in which Formula 1 doesn't have a long-standing tradition. If we need to, we must also think about changing the format of the races themselves: Nothing should be set in stone.

We are preparing to tackle many challenges in the future. It won't be easy, but Ferrari will be out there on the front row and will fight to the last to ensure the battle is won because that's just in our nature: When we go into a competition, we do it to win.

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