Lack of options to save Massa’s Ferrari career?

By Jul 13, 2013, 11:00 AM EDT
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It’s that time of year again, folks. ‘Silly season’ got off to a rather explosive start on the Thursday of the British Grand Prix when Mark Webber confirmed his retirement from the sport at the end of the season, beginning the domino effect on the 2014 driver market. Kimi Raikkonen, Daniel Ricciardo and Jean-Eric Vergne are the three drivers in the running for this seat, but this in turn opens up a seat at either Lotus or Toro Rosso. The latter would most probably be filled by rising star Antonio Felix da Costa, and with Nico Hulkenberg in talks with Lotus, he may be off to Enstone should Raikkonen leave. Keeping up?

After another disappointing performance at the Nurburgring, the sharks are now beginning to sniff around Felipe Massa at Ferrari – just as they have for the last three or four years. The Brazilian, who came second in the 2008 drivers’ championship, has been outclassed by teammate Fernando Alonso during their four years together at the team, leaving many to question Massa’s position in Maranello. Furthermore, Ferrari’s reluctance to give him anything longer than a one year contract extension may suggest the same, with a fine run at the end of 2012 securing his place with the team for this season. Could his number finally be up, though?

It comes down to the available drivers. Ironically, Mark Webber’s availability would have suited Ferrari twelve months ago, but the Australian snubbed the move in favor of playing second-fiddle to Vettel once again this year.

Despite there being a plethora of young drivers champing at the bit for a place in Formula One, there appears to be a lack of ‘Ferrari quality’ in the mix-up. The one-time natural replacement for Massa – Nico Hulkenberg – has endured a poor start to the season due to the Sauber C32’s lack of pace, yet his performances have been good to drag it into the points. He may be in talks with Lotus, but would Ferrari be willing to hijack a deal to bring him to Maranello?

A second mooted option is Paul di Resta, although he is lacking a ‘stand out’ result during his two-and-a-half year F1 career so far. Without a podium, it is very hard to Ferrari to take on a driver, and many would also question quite whether he fits in with the team’s ‘image’. A driver who may tick this final box is Ferrari Driver Academy member Jules Bianchi, yet he too lacks any real record having competed in just nine races for Marussia so far.

Without wishing to write off the rest of Massa’s season, the popular Brazilian may be aided by a lack of options for Ferrari. Silly season still has a long summer to play out though, potentially changing the face of next year’s grid once again.

Ford unveils a new Mustang for 2024 Le Mans in motorsports ‘lifestyle brand’ retooling

Associated PressJun 9, 2023, 7:00 PM EDT
Ford Mustang Le Mans
Ford Performance
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LE MANS, France — Ford has planned a return to the 24 Hours of Le Mans with its iconic Mustang muscle car next year under a massive rebranding of Ford Performance aimed at bringing the automotive manufacturer “into the racing business.”

The Friday unveil of the new Mustang Dark Horse-based race car follows Ford’s announcement in February (and a ballyhooed test at Sebring in March) that it will return to Formula One in 2026 in partnership with reigning world champion Red Bull.

The Mustang will enter the GT3 category next year with at least two cars in both IMSA and the World Endurance Championship, and is hopeful to earn an invitation to next year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans. The IMSA entries will be a factory Ford Performance program run by Multimatic, and a customer program in WEC with Proton Competition.

Ford CEO Jim Farley, also an amateur sports car racer, told The Associated Press the Mustang will be available to compete in various GT3 series across the globe to customer teams. But more important, Farley said, is the overall rebranding of Ford Performance – done by renowned motorsports designer Troy Lee – that is aimed at making Ford a lifestyle brand with a sporting mindset.

“It’s kind of like the company finding its own, and rediscovering its icons, and doubling down on them,” Farley told the AP. “And then this motorsports activity is getting serious about connecting enthusiast customers with those rediscovered icons. It’s a big switch for the company – this is really about building strong, iconic vehicles with enthusiasts at the center of our marketing.”

Ford last competed in sports car racing in 2019 as part of a three-year program with Chip Ganassi Racing. The team scored the class win at Le Mans in 2016 in a targeted performance aimed to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Ford snapping Ferrari’s six-year winning streak.

Ford on Friday displayed a Mustang with a Lee-designed livery that showcased the cleaner, simplified look that will soon be featured on all its racing vehicles. The traditional blue oval with Ford Performance in white lettering underneath will now be branded simply FP.

The new mark will be used across car liveries, merchandise and apparel, display assets, parts and accessories and in advertising.

Farley cited Porsche as an automaker that has successfully figured out how to sell cars to consumers and race cars in various series around the world while creating a culture of brand enthusiasts. He believes Ford’s new direction will help the company sell street cars, race cars, boost interest in driving schools, and create a merchandise line that convinces consumers that a stalwart of American automakers is a hip, cool brand.

“We’re going to build a global motorsports business off road and on road,” Farley told the AP, adding that the design of the Mustang is “unapologetically American.”

He lauded the work of Lee, who is considered the top helmet designer among race car drivers.

“We’re in the first inning of a nine inning game, and going to Le Mans is really important,” Farley said. “But for customer cars, getting the graphics right, designing race cars that win at all different levels, and then designing a racing brand for Ford Performance that gets rebranded and elevated is super important.”

He said he’s kept a close eye on how Porsche and Aston Martin have built their motorsports businesses and said Ford will be better.

“We’re going in the exact same direction. We just want to be better than them, that’s all,” Farley said. “Second is the first loser.”

Farley, an avid amateur racer himself, did not travel to Le Mans for the announcement. The race that begins Saturday features an entry from NASCAR, and Ford is the reigning Cup Series champion with Joey Logano and Team Penske.

The NASCAR “Garage 56” entry is a collaboration between Hendrick Motorsports, Chevrolet and Goodyear, and is being widely celebrated throughout the industry. Farley did feel left out of the party in France – a sentiment NASCAR tried to avoid by inviting many of its partners to attend the race so that it wouldn’t seem like a Chevrolet-only celebration.

“They’re going right and I’m going left – that NASCAR thing is a one-year deal, right? It’s Garage 56 and they can have their NASCAR party, but that’s a one-year party,” Farley said. “We won Le Mans outright four times, we won in the GT class, and we’re coming back with Mustang and it’s not a one-year deal.

“So they can get all excited about Garage 56. I almost see that as a marketing exercise for NASCAR, but for me, that’s a science project,” Farley continued. “I don’t live in a world of science projects. I live in the world of building a vital company that everyone is excited about. To do that, we’re not going to do a Garage 56 – I’ve got to beat Porsche and Aston Martin and Ferrari year after year after year.”

Ford’s announcement comes on the heels of General Motors changing its GT3 strategy next season and ending its factory Corvette program. GM, which unlike Ford competes in the IMSA Grand Touring Prototype division (with its Cadillac brand), will shift fully to a customer model for Corvettes in 2024 (with some factory support in the IMSA GTD Pro category).