MAY 13, 2009

What Kimi and Felipe think

Ferrari says that it has received "numerous messages from its fans from all over the world" in support of its decision not to enter the FIA Formula 1 World Championship in 2010.

"I want to thank you personally for the numerous messages of support we received from all over the world over the last hours on our website and via email," Luca di Montezemolo has written on the Ferrari website. "It is important to know that we can count on the support of our fans all over the world and that our fans completely share the motivations, which brought us to take such a decision. If we were forced to leave the championship we were part of over the last 60 years of our history and where we set all the records in terms of victories, it is because they want to change the nature of its founding values.

"If it really was like that, then I have to say that our cars will race in other competitions, where - and I am absolutely convinced about that - they will find the enthusiasm and the passion of millions of fans, following us in every corner of the world. Racing is part of Ferrari's DNA and this is something that will never change.

The Ferrari drivers are also supporting the decision.

"I understand the motivation, why the company got to this point," says Felipe Massa. "The idea of having a championship with two velocities, with cars, which for example are allowed to have flexible wings or an engine without a rev limiter, is absurd. We've already seen this year that the rules uncertainty not only led to a lot of confusion for us involved, but mainly for the fans. Imagine what might happen with what has been set up for 2010.

For a driver racing a Ferrari in Formula 1 is a dream and I made mine come true. Since I was a child Ferrari has been the synonym for racing for me; that's why I'm convinced that even if the Scuderia is forced to leave Formula 1, there will be other competitions, where it will be possible to admire the Reds on the track."

Kimi Raikkonen also agrees.

"It's difficult to think of a Formula 1 without Ferrari," he says. "When I drove for McLaren the Scuderia from Maranello was the benchmark, the competitor you had to be compared with. Since I arrived here I understood that it is much more than just a team, it's a legend, perpetuated via its road and racing cars.

I always had the passion for racing with everything with an engine and I always thought of Formula 1 as the pinnacle of motor sports, in terms of competition and technology. Obviously if there really were rules like the ones set by FIA, it would be difficult to imagine a Formula 1 we had until today.

I can't imagine drivers racing each other on the track with cars built according to different rules; that wouldn't be good for the sport itself or for the fans. If that should happen, it would be too bad and I understand that a company like Ferrari is thinking about racing somewhere else."