Ferrari rules out the idea of establishing a base in Great Britain
Piero Ferrari, vice-president of the eponymous manufacturer, has dismissed the possibility of his team setting up a base in England, contrary to what Flavio Briatore is advocating.
Since the start of the 2016 season, Ferrari has clearly not met its goals in terms of results. After an impressive 2015 championship with three Grand Prix victories, the Prancing Horse brand has been left behind by Mercedes and caught up by Red Bull.
The former director of Renault F1 Team Flavio Briatore suggested a structural upheaval to the officials of the Italian manufacturer by establishing a satellite structure away from Maranello, the historical headquarters of Ferrari, in England where most of the most sought-after engineers in Formula 1 operate: “Ferrari absolutely must have a technological branch in Great Britain,” asserted the Italian businessman last September.
Piero Ferrari has since wished to respond to the criticisms by dismissing the hypothesis of establishing structures outside the company’s homeland. The co-owner of the Italian team points to the organizational problems his men would face in the event of such a development.
The last son of Enzo Ferrari even goes so far as to mention the issue of ensuring the “Italianization” of the group, as reported by Global Motorsport Media about John Barnard, former engineer at the head of the Scuderia: « My biggest regret […] was convincing my father of the need to hire a foreign designer. But Barnard never interacted with our culture, it was a big mistake ».
