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Maranello Mumbo Jumbo

FEATURE BY MIKE LAWRENCE
13/01/2015

Ferrari has not just had a couple of poor seasons, it is in crisis. In the last eight months there have been three team principals and the firing of a slew of senior engineers at a rate unprecedented, even for Ferrari.

Sergio Marchionne, the CEO of Fiat Chrysler, has been reported as that saying he intended to 'kick ass'. Every F1 boss has to make hard decisions, all the time, but I cannot recall any one of them publicly saying that they were 'kicking ass'. That is macho management mumbo jumbo. It goes without saying that Marchionne has an MBA = More Bullshit Available.

What does the guy suppose the people at Maranello have been doing around the clock? A racing team is not a conventional business, it engenders passion in the work-force. Nobody needs to remind them that they are not winning races.

In 1986, March Engineering had become so profitable, on the back of Indycar and F3000, that it launched as a public company, the first racing car constructor to do so. Managers were head-hunted 'to run the company as a sensible business', in the words of Robin Herd, co-founder and then sole owner.

The people recruited had been fine in conventional business, but they were useless in a motor racing environment. You will now find March mentioned in the history books. The bright new managers neglected their core customers but came up with all kinds of ideas, including a March aftershave, probably just a whiff of Castrol 'R'.

Some have said that if Ferrari had been doing better on the track the share price when Fiat Chrysler was floated in October would have been higher. This is typical of conventional thinking. Who associates Chrysler with Ferrari? Chrysler once owned Lamborghini and involved it in Formula One. Did that give Chrysler glamour?

In the UK, Lancias (modified Fiats) have been offered as Chryslers, complete with TV ads stressing Good Ole Yankee Know-How. Yankee Know-How on a Lancia? The exercise has bombed, it has been a total failure, yet Marchionne thought it a good idea.

For years, Alfa Romeo worked with Mazda on the replacement to the MX5/Miata, the most successful roadster in history. The Italian version would have had an Alfa Romeo engine and styling cues, it would have been the natural successor to the Giuletta Spyder, but it now may be a Fiat.

Mr Macho Manager Marchionne has made comments about poor decisions at Ferrari. These have been seen as thinly veiled criticism of Luca di Montezemolo. Luca thinks so and has said that he will not comment, which itself is a comment.

Luca worked tirelessly for Ferrari. Of course he tried to work every unfair advantage, that is what all successful racing bosses do. The phrase, 'unfair advantage' was coined by Roger Penske who was a dab hand at the game, whether it was acid-dipping the shells of Trans-Am cars or commissioning Ilmor (whose founding he funded) to make a push-rod engine for the Indianapolis 500.

Di Montezemolo has worked his corner well, grabbing every advantage he can. Other team principals sometimes have cried 'foul', but only when they have been out-smarted.

Apart from overseeing two of Ferrari's most successful spells in F1, the Lauda and Schumacher eras, di Montezemolo has transformed the road cars. There was a time when the standard was not that high, though they sure were pretty. When John Barnard joined, he was given a Mondiale as a company car. A journalist asked what he thought of it and Barnard gave an engineer's reply. Later, he had to 'clarify' his comments.

Today, Ferrari has been cited as the world's most valuable brand and that did not happen by accident. But it happened under di Montezemolo's reign. It is not just a case of selling cars from the showroom floor, serial owners are allowed special privileges, like being able to put their names down to have first call on limited editions, some of which are made specially for them.

Di Montezemolo is from an aristocratic background, he knows his clientele. Marchionne knows how to shift a lot of cheap cars.

I think it comes down to Marchionne and di Montezemolo being two bulls in the same field.

The fact remains that no team stays on top all the time. Ferrari enjoyed a rare run of success during the Schumacher, Brawn and Todt years but this was exceptional. Ferrari has always been a top team, but only occasionally has it been dominant.

Jean Alesi, one of the best wet weather drivers ever, spent his prime years with the Scuderia and ended his career with only one Grand Prix win. No wonder Fernando Alonso wanted out.

During its entire history, Ferrari has introduced only one notable innovation: the paddle gear shift. That was the work of John Barnard whom Ferrari poached from McLaren in 1986.

Ferrari receives a bigger slice of the revenue cake than any other team. There is a myth that Formula One needs Ferrari, but no team is bigger than the sport in which it competes, not even Arsenal. In any case, Ferrari was virtually absent during 2014.

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READERS COMMENTS

 

1. Posted by shumfann, 10/02/2015 4:31

"Sound like somebody is getting worried .Maby FERRARI will hick a.. this year."

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2. Posted by Jet Jockey, 28/01/2015 8:23

""MBA = More Bullshit Available "... I almost peed my pants!

Good article and good read and I hope Ferrari fails again and again. Yes I don't like them for many reasons one of them being how they were favored by FOM and the FIA and how they got away with too many things in the past."

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3. Posted by MrShadow, 19/01/2015 9:23

"Montezemolo held on to Domenicali for too long which probably caused his departure. In earlier days when performance dropped the team manager was the first to go.
While Dr Lawrence is still upset his Alfa MX-5 was scrapped, time will tell how the new people operate."

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4. Posted by REV, 17/01/2015 9:29

"Mike, great article. You fail to mention that Mr. MBA has already anounced his first win of the season, i.e. finding the loop hole in the regs allowing engines to be developed throughout the season. That is certainly a 'win' if you're a lawyer, but in F1 it's normally crossing the finish line first."

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5. Posted by GrahamG, 16/01/2015 15:35

"The key to F1 success has always been - and probably always will be - management of the people. Todt managed an incredibly multinational and multicultural team at Ferrari and they were successful, I for one would love to "read the book". Until they sort out a good top man they will continue to fail. Luca had a lot of success (and receives little credit) but perhaps change is also needed from time to time.
Look at the top teams over the years - every one had a superb manager - and these are people with passion as well as the ability to motivate. Brawn, Tyrrell, Chapman, Brabham, Todt, Horner, Wolff, Williams (possibly father and daughter) to name but a few people who get the best performance out of their resources. Ferrari have only rarely had great team managers, and when they have they have been sucessful and until they find nother they won't be again."

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6. Posted by MES, 16/01/2015 4:36

"MBA, ha! Mike you hit that nail with a sledge-hammer, right on man!"

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7. Posted by GeorgeK, 15/01/2015 17:11

"@ Chis Balfe

Thank you for the clarification regarding Montezemolo family history, I stand corrected."

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8. Posted by testa rossa, 15/01/2015 16:22

"I don't care who the father of Marchionne was.. King or Nazi. and give the guy two years before we judge.."

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9. Posted by Ted Baker, 15/01/2015 11:59

"Another excellent article by you Mike, Ferrari have always been in the pocket of the FIA and FOM and have allegedly gained financial and other advantages over the competition over the years. I wrote a little "rant" on Facebook the other day which in my opinion sums the whole story up as to why Ferrari did not win a championship post Brawn.....without his guidance they were all over the place on strategy.

As follows:

It will be very interesting to see if Marchionne's leadership will be anyway near as successful as Montezemolo's over the next few years. Montezemolo got it right when he recruited Ross Brawn and Michael Schumacher together who then went on to pick their "jobs for the boys" to achieve the outstanding success of that era. Things change and the loss of Ross was the main catalyst of their downfall. Why didn't Alonso win the Championship in previous years after coming so close one simple reason.........strategy........there was no Ross to guide the pitwall decisions even though the technical support team was superb that he put in place before his exit. No one else could do it so you can't blame Montezemolo for this.
Well Marchionne put your money where you big mouth is I'll have a bet you won't sort it!!!!

Proper "Man Management" is the Brawn way, quiet and efficient.....NOT "kicking ass"!!!!"

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10. Posted by gary0400, 15/01/2015 0:24

"Thank you again Mike. Excellent article. Mr. Montezemolo should not have been treated with disrespect."

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11. Posted by deuteros, 14/01/2015 20:44

"BTW, there is no "Maranello Mumbo Jumbo" You should know that in US and Canada "to kick ass" means to win, in the sense of "kick the ass of the competition...", and that is what all Ferrari fans, including Marchionne, hope to be able to do in the 2015 season."

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12. Posted by deuteros, 14/01/2015 20:34

"This is the crappiest article I have ever read. It just spews Ferrari-envy on every line. The intellectual level of the article is illustrated when Lawrence makes fun of Marchionne for having an MBA... Just to remain at the same level, let me feed you a juicy gossip. When, in the seventies, Montezemolo (who was only aged 27) was given high responsibilities in the Scuderia, it was said that he was an illegitimate son of Gianni Agnelli, to whom now, well aged, he resembles a lot.... "

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13. Posted by kiwi2wheels, 14/01/2015 18:24

""MBA = More Bullshit Available "

A good thing I wasn't drinking my coffee when I read that!

A great article, in stark contrast to the " Ronspiel " of the " McLaren Group gets a name change "................and also the info on di Montezemolo's ancestry . Thanks Mike and Chris.

"

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14. Posted by Editor, 14/01/2015 17:42

"@ GeorgeK

Born in Bologna, Italy, he (Luca di Montezemolo) is the youngest son of Massimo Cordero dei Marchesi di Montezemolo (1920–2009), a Piedmontese aristocrat whose family served the Royal House of Savoy for generations, and Clotilde Neri (b. 1922), niece of famed Italian surgeon Vincenzo Neri.

His uncle, Admiral Giorgio Cordero dei Marchesi di Montezemolo (1918–1986) was a commander in the Regia Marina in World War II. His grandfather, Mario (1888–1960) and great-grandfather Carlo (1858–1943) were both Generals in the Italian Army.

He is also a cousin of Andrea Cordero Lanza di Montezemolo, who became a cardinal in 2006 and whose father, colonel Giuseppe Cordero di Montezemolo, was killed by the occupation troops Nazis during the massacre of the Fosse Ardeatine in Rome in 1944.

His surname is actually "Cordero di Montezemolo" and the correct usage is either the full surname or just Montezemolo (omitting the "di")."

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15. Posted by GeorgeK, 14/01/2015 17:17

"Mike stated "Di Montezemolo is from an aristocratic background, he knows his clientele."
Luca may have come from a wealthy family but not aristocratic, as I have read elsewhere. The "di" before Montezemolo is an affectation adopted by Luca, not granted as an aristocrat.

Just another reason I never cared for the man."

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