Ferrari president Sergio Marchionne has hit back at Bernie Ecclestone’s claims that Ferrari has benefited from preferential treatment over other teams during his tenure as the sport’s dictator.
In an interview with La Repubblica, “The teams are important to F1, but Ferrari is more than that. So many things have been done over the years that have helped Ferrari to win.”
Marchionne rubbished the remarks and told reporters, “I think that’s what they call unadulterated hogwash. I think Bernie should be very thankful that Ferrari was at the table, and helped him turn the sport into as financially lucrative a position as it ultimately materialised for his personal use.”
“God bless him, I like Bernie, a lot, but I think Ferrari has done as much,” added Marchionne.
He also revealed, “Last week I was in Austin especially to meet Liberty Media. We want to reduce the costs of Formula 1, which are exceeding certain limits. It does not depend on technical issues, but how the sport is handled. But the important thing is not to distort Formula 1 for commercial reasons.”
“Formula 1 is part of the history of Ferrari, I intend to protect its involvement, but if they mess it up, or turn it into a shopping mall, then I am not at all interested,” concluded the Scuderia’s big boss.