What will happen to Marchionne's final F1 dream?

Marchionne's plan was to be announced around the time of the Italian Grand Prix later this year, it was to be a partnership between Haas and Maserati. The door has been open for some months and he intended to negotiate with the American team during the forthcoming summer break.

The deal was expected to be similar to the one that sees Alfa-Romeo on the side of the Sauber cars., which is said to be worth $25-million to the team who also provide a seat for a Ferrari junior.

Until fate cruelly intervened, Marchionne was set to quit as FCA boss and focus full time on Ferrari in his position as Chairman and CEO. But that will not happen as the Italian born Canadian's condition is severe and terminal.

Adding Ferrari aligned brands such as Alfa-Romeo and Maserati to the F1 grid through backing for Sauber and Haas would also strengthen his own hand with three of the ten teams in his pocket. Marchionne was planning and manoeuvring ahead of his tenure at Maranello, which never came.

New Ferrari chairman John Elkann and, another Marlboro man, Louis Camilleri as the new CEO have yet to make public their vision for the iconic Italian team and Formula 1 for that matter.

Time will tell if they buy into Marchionne's final Formula 1 dream of Maserati returning to the pinnacle of the sport for the first time since 1960. With Fangio at the wheel of the iconic 250F (pictured above) the marque won the drivers' title in 1954 and 1957.

It would be an understatement to say that Marchionne's sudden demise has stunned the Formula 1 world, a cloud hung over the Hockenheim paddock as the news was digested. It surprised everyone including those who had regular dealings with the former Ferrari chief.

Gazzetta dello Sport report that Mercedes big boss Dieter Zetsche, who was in regular contact with Marchionne, knew that the operation took place on 28 June in Zurich and had been under the impression all was well with his counterpart.

The report added: "If everything seemed to turn out for the best, what happened? Impossible to know, at least right now. Those who do know are silent."

Days before he was hospitalised, for what was expected to be a routine shoulder operation, Marchionne had met with FIA chief Jean Todt and F1 boss Chase Carey after which it appears there was a certain harmonisation of views which had earlier been deeply divided.

The presentation of Jeep Wranglers to the Carabinieri was Marchionne's final public appearance on 26 June in Rome.

On Monday, ANSA news agency reported that Marchionne is still in "intensive care " and "his conditions are irreversible."