In a second show of support for Ferrari big boss Sergio Marchionne, Mercedes F1 chief Toto Wolff has warned that the Italian team’s president should not be provoked as the future of the sport is being mapped out by the powers that be, insisting that F1 needs to have Ferrari on the grid.
Amid recent comments by FIA president Jean Todt suggesting that Ferrari is free to leave Formula 1, Wolff reiterated, “Don’t provoke Sergio Marchionne.”
“I think that F1 needs Ferrari more than Ferrari needs F1 and he has an understanding and a vision of what the DNA in F1 needs to represent for Ferrari, and he is a no-nonsense guy.”
“If he doesn’t see the value for his brand he is going to call it a day. Very easy. With no regret. So, you better not mess with him,” added Wolff.
Last year Marchionne warned Liberty Media, “Formula 1 has something noble, it’s not a sport like any other, we want to help preserve that and it should not just be about business here.”
“If the sport is going in the right direction, then we are open to talk about everything. But if the sport is to become a kind of supermarket, then I’m not interested,” declared the Ferrari president.