Ferrari, Max, Bernie and Champ Car

UPDATE A reader writes, Dear AutoRacing1.com, One time way back in the past when Enzo was having a dispute with the FISA/FIA in the late '80s, Ferrari seriously thought about competing in what was called IndyCar Series (the real one not the lame one of today) and running the 500 Miles of Indianapolis. Ferrari went so far as to build a car and engine to CART specs 2.65L turbo the whole deal. This link gives some details. Heck it might happen – Bernie, Max, and Ferrari have enough power and sheer balls to do it. Andy Klueber

06/23/05 Put this one in the pure speculation department, but is it a coincidence that the proposed 2008 rules put forth by the FIA for F1 are so very much like the Champ Car rules? With the split in F1 appearing to be wider now than ever before, it is quite conceivable that the manufacturers will go forward with a new GPWC series. It is becoming clear now that only Ferrari may be standing with Max Mosley and Bernie Ecclestone when it is all said and done, all the other teams being owned by the other manufacturers by then.

With Fiat's financial woes, Ferrari is said to be in favor of the new rules to cut costs significantly, and with the USA being Ferrari's biggest market, with Champ Car becoming global much like F1, will the rumors that have been around for two years now eventually play out? That being in the end, Bernie Ecclestone will buy into Champ Car and call it F1, and with the most popular team in F1, Ferrari, continue on with the F1 World Championship while the GPWC attempts to start its own GP series from scratch?

Ferrari and Bridgestone have a close relationship and of course Bridgestone supplies the entire Champ Car grid already. Monza will side with Ferrari, perhaps Imola too, and could become Champ Car, nee F1 races. By then Champ Car will be racing in the USA, Mexico, Canada, South Africa (yes, it's real), Australia, China, South Korea, Japan and Europe (Monza and Imola). In other words, Champ Car, nee F1, will be just as international as the current F1 series.

Ferrari of course will bring well over 50% of the existing F1 fan base with them to the new F1/Champ Car series. Some say that without Ferrari F1 would be nothing. Some 90% of the USGP fans stayed to watch the race even though most of the cars were not in it. Why? Because they came to see Ferrari.

Bernie trying to do a deal in Cape Town, South Africa? Champ Car too. Both are trying to put together deals in Vegas and NY City too. Are they opposing each other or working together?

Ridiculous? Perhaps. As we said when we started, put this one in the pure speculation department, but all the stars appear to be lining up for such a scenario to play out should the split in F1 continue down the path it is going.