Debate of the Day: Will Ferrari quit F1?

Ferrari President Sergio Marchionne has repeated his quit threat to see the iconic Italian squad leave Formula 1 as he takes aim at former Ferrari head Ross Brawn’s plans.

Speaking at Ferrari’s pre-Christmas media lunch, Marchionne has warned new F1 owners Liberty Media “they are playing with fire” on the Italian manufacturer’s place in the sport. Marchionne feels a drive towards standardising engine parts and rules is “against the DNA” of F1 and is demanding a rethink from Liberty’s sporting managing director Ross Brawn.

This is the second quit threat from the Ferrari President in the space of a month, while the manufacturer has made similar comments before which have fallen on deaf ears with Ferrari not taking it any further. But is this call different to the previous threats?

With Ferrari potentially set for a hit in prize money from the start of 2021 plus engine rules not to the team’s ideals, is it time to start taking these threats seriously? Given the value of racing in F1 to Ferrari and the sport's most recognisable brand, will it ever quit? Is F1 imaginable without Ferrari?

Crash will be running Forum debates every day during the winter in preparation for the 2018 season debating a range of topics and issues – but you can submit your own ideas here.