I have to admit, when I first started reading this thread I was laughing my donkey off at the ignorance of F1, F1 history, and Ferrari being posted, usually by some whose vast knowledge of F1 starts with the mid 2000s. Of course, that is not unexpected as it is pretty much a monthly happening on the forum anyway.
I often wonder why it is that oh so many refuse to do their homework and actually LEARN about something before the speak out, but then, when I go back to my 25 years of teaching High School, it makes perfect sense. You see, there is a tendency to dismiss history and think that only today matters, or only what you personally have experienced. Why do research that might cause you to have to change your views, much easier to just put down what you don't know as unimportant. Like it or not, F1 did not start with Red Bull, or even with McLaren and Senna.
There are few things here in this thread that are really based on reality, and a whole bunch of crap that is merely based on personal biases, ie... intense dislike of Ferrari, intense support for "local" teams, etc. Some have made some legitimate cases (mostly on pages 2 & 3 after we got through the bullshit page) as to why Ferrari might get more "credit" than they deserve, and some have pointed out the simple fact that Ferrari has the history to back up the claim of them being critical to F1.
Why does Ferrari have such an elevated place in F1? As Tufty said, more WCCs & more WDCs than any other team. Higher marketing value than any other team. Higher world-wide recognition as a racing entity than any other F1 team. Larger fan base than any other team. and... yes, many drivers aspire to sit in a Ferrari seat as a part of their F1 career. You can make all the excuses you want, but those items are pretty much undeniable (except by some of our most fervent anti-Ferrari members, of course).
As I have pointed out before, We here in the forum represent only the most avid of racing fans, which in turn is only a very small part of the world population. More than that, this being an UK based forum, we also have a predominance of members from that country, and of course, they are as patriotic as the citizens of most countries. Oh, I know you will deny it, you will tell me for what is probably the 1000th time of the past 12 years of membership on this forum, how you are unbiased and totally fair in your assessments, but face it, we all have our biases, and to deny that only makes you look foolish. What we need to remember is that F1 is about much more than the few thousand F1 fans that belong to forums, we merely represent the most avid. We are dwarfed by less fanatical fans.
The point is, Ferrari is the face of F1. Not McLaren, not Red Bull, not Williams, not Renault, not Mercedes. Most of the world know who Mercedes is, but as a manufacturer. Most people know who Red Bull is, but a relatively small percentage know that they have been winning in F1 lately. The Williams recognition factor outside of the F1 fan and the UK, is almost non-existent. And McLaren? As much as I hate to tell you, they too suffer from brand recognition, though their two road cars (the F1 and today's sports car) are increasing their brand recognition. However, mention Ferrari and see what reaction you get among the populace. Fast sports cars and racing... and not necessarily in that order. The Ferrari logo is one of the most recognized automotive, if not the most, logo in the world. Thus that adds great value to F1 in the commercial sense. Whether it is the fans that attends the races, the fans who watch the races on TV or the fans that buy the clothing or promotionals, F1 benefits by Ferrari's participation. Yes, even the other teams get benefits from the Ferrari shirts that are sold. That is why they are so important to the financial aspect of F1.
Would F1 survive without Ferrari? Probably so, but it would be a different F1 than you see today... at least for a while. Would Ferrari survive without F1? No doubt. Ferrari is extremely healthy as a car manufacture, their name is made (yes in large part do to F1), but the name recognition is there, the Ferrari "mystique" is there. That is not going away if Ferrari quits F1. Besides, Ferrari will race, if for no other reason than to stay on top of technological developments.
Obviously, it is better for F1 if Ferrari stays, and better for Ferrari as well. And better for the forum, as some of you would be lost if you didn't have them to kick around!
Just a couple of previous comments to address...
Sabrina,
Williams and McLaren will warrant a larger share of the F1 historical monies as soon as they have more years in the sport than does Ferrari. Pretty simple really.
to whoever said.
"Team Lotus and Cooper F1 team have arguably done more for the sport than the team that Enzo created"... bullshit. Cooper was innovative, as was Chapman... and they deserve great credit for it, but to randomly dismiss 62 years of participation in F1, outlasting all other teams, including Lotus & Cooper, and helping to build the sport into what it is today... you can't just brush that aside.
and one of the most laughable of all...
"They would be no more missed than Williams, McLaren, Sauber or any other long standing team with the same name". You just keep believing that... while the rest of the forum shakes their head in wonderment. Better than half of this forum could even tell you who Sauber's drivers were this year...
