Ferrari Boss Unleashes on Drivers - I Love it

Racing drivers beware, this is where the industry wants to go...

John Elkann (head of Ferrari) has let the cat out of the bag with an outburst about his F1 drivers keeping their mouths shut. Of course the general reaction is ‘what the hell do you know?’ in defence of the drivers concerned. But since when should racing drivers require any defence?

Now that’s a problem with the current crop of ‘elite’ racing drivers, and why there’s a gaping great hole in the world waiting to be filled by what I would call proper racing drivers. They would be the kind of self-sufficient individuals who would eat a CEO for breakfast.

Anyway, I really do love that Elkann piped up, because people should kick off now and again, and show their true colours. I like how he has been bold and shown his frustrations too.

He has thrown down the gauntlet, and what an effective litmus test it has been to the drivers involved, and a tremendous reveal on what the suits are all about!

So, here’s why I really love this opening gambit from Elkann

1. Drivers shut up - we own you!

Elkann has revealed what all he and fellow corporate types are up to. And sadly I don’t think anyone really opposes their goal: the drive to subordinate racing drivers - other than complaining after the fact that drivers lack personality!

In motor racing the drivers are the real power, the heroes. Usually the other significant movers and shakers are also drivers at heart, so often really quite cool.

However, they all want to put drivers in their place. It’s quite normal power dynamics, and they are winning.

This is the purpose of karting academies, early subordination and ownership of drivers before they are old enough to know any different.

2. He has invited a merciless evisceration from his drivers (which I don’t think they will deliver)

I know people like to hold fire and give themselves time to respond, or create some kind of quiet revenge plan - like don’t get mad get even, or revenge is a dish best served cold.

But really, when someone opens themselves up like Elkann has, but also the attitude secretly held by a whole industry, then why not let them have it both barrels?

Well, the true answer is - ‘I want to keep my money’, which I believe is not worthy of a racing driver.

Just to see if you feel a triggering inside you, that might help you see where I’m coming from on this, I’ll draft a fantasy response.

It should go a little something like this, a full-on public redress of the balance. Not considered, not corporately responsible - and especially important, it should not pander to commercial considerations at all!

Either LeClerc or Hamilton should say this:

Dear Mr Elkann,

Please go ahead and fire me then.

But one thing before I go. You do not willingly offer your life for this badge.

I am just as wealthy as you, but tomorrow I might be crippled in this pursuit, rendering my wealth irrelevant. This is because I am a superior man to you, for your money is your purpose, to me it is nothing.

Your money has zero power over me.

You are not in a position of rank to tell me to talk less. I do believe in rank, I am higher than you, significantly so as demonstrated by my chosen life pursuit.

I don’t seek to shut you up. What I do seek is to offer my life in pursuit of glory with men and women who likewise work on a higher plane.

So please fire me, if not I am happy to be sued for breach of contract as I walk away, because I won’t sit in one of your silly red cars ever again.

You disgust me - you child, you company man (oops I nicked that from Glengarry Glenross!)

Yours,
non-existent Racing Driver

I think that would be a fair response, and would establish the battle-lines that could actually lead to a long overdue conflict:

CEO vs Racing Driver.

That would be cool; and fair play to Elkann for firing the first shot, at least giving us the opportunity!

But alas, the backlash is left to public opinion, the drivers will seek advice before reacting, and they will therefore evade any escalation.

Why this is important to all drivers, and why I have to say it in the absence of what will be said by the actual drivers.

There is an ongoing attempt to make drivers grateful, guilt ridden and lucky slaves to corporate decisions. Some of them get paid a fortune, but that should not mean they allow themselves to be out-ranked by anyone on earth - anyone at all.

Verstappen being a notable exception. But his power comes from him being so impossibly fast and competent i.e he is so good that he renders all other considerations obsolete. Red Bull understand they would be mid-grid without him.

But drivers don’t need to be that good to have the self-esteem that comes with being what they are. That doesn’t depend on performance, all drivers should have at least that level of personal sovereignty.

Drivers generally are supposed to be dangerous. That’s almost the definition of the racing driver, they live dangerously.

I agree that motor racing entrepreneurs also live dangerously, and these people should also be a bit wild... therefore drivers and bosses SHOULD often clash, and publicly too because that’s education for developing minds to witness.

Instead the industry is attempting to turn racing drivers into safe investments!

In other words:

They are trying to turn the epitome of the dangerous human (a.k.a the racing driver) into a commodity that can give a good R.O.I.

Very early on drivers are deliberately tamed, the FIA even going as far as putting on karting series where every kart looks the same and every driver wears the same suit.... that way we get to see they are all the same, and drivers have to keep their head down and follow the rules.... maybe then they will be chosen and given the easy route to a professional racing driver.

They won’t be taught survival skills either, just how to behave acceptably around corporates is what is needed - so you don’t create any ‘issues’.

All you need is driving skill - the idea that everyone approves is that driving talent should be rewarded in a pure meritocracy.

It seems all very nice doesn’t it? Fairness for all, talent should be what shines.

Well, being a racing driver is about a lot more than being an ‘athlete’. An epithet so many of my racing world colleagues like to demean racing drivers with, as if athlete is somehow elevating to a racing driver!

Being a racing driver is about thriving in the most corrupt and dark business you can imagine, and turning yourself into an unstoppable beast!

The talents required to thrive in real racing are not limited to a limited set of skills.

We are talking about a full human at maximum power, and a skint karter is the ultimate starting point to build that.

Because to even get to the grid, you will need to blow peoples bloody doors off with charisma, skill, intelligence, courage, bravery, audacity, persistence - becoming an all round force of nature.

NOT a spoiled prince/princess in a fair ‘sport’ who learned so skills by repetition and became an ‘athlete’.

Academies by F1 Teams and FIA are Hyper-Exclusive and Useless.

Karting, especially local club karting, is the ultimate arena forging the skint karter who becomes a beast - because its by far the most accessible racing with unmatched intensity. It’s doable and extremely hard at the same time.

Meanwhile the likes of Elkann and the FIA are doing everything they can to homogenise and subordinate karting into a money feed for its formula car classes.

The goal: Create an appearance of fairness (all karts the same), turn drivers into tradable assets (keep your mouth shut), and still keep the money coming in from parents because it still costs a fortune!

The outcome: A great number of mediocre drivers dependant on zero-competitive-advantage events, homogenising media training, and full understanding that their success is at the behest of higher people.

The FIA may succeed, so while we have real wild club karting, let’s use it to:

• Face fears of real physical danger. Maybe even justify the fears by crashing and still getting over it.

• Face combat, conflict and fighting with real physical danger

• Get beaten up by cheating and unfairness, and come back again, and get beaten up again.

• Learn to engineer your own kart! Break it, fix it, replace it, bin it again…

• Take you racing driver attributes into normal people’s lives and ask them to back you just because you dazzle them, and give them a boost, inspiration and a hero they need in their also unfair lives!!

Then, hopefully one day, when you have been through the ringer of racing and thrived in it, when a big-shot thinks they can dress you down in public, you can immediately, as in with a second, no need to call your PR or lawyers, rip them to shreds publicly and happily walk away.

Because nobody can have power over a real racing driver, especially not the head of Ferrari!

Thanks for reading, and thanks again to John Elkann who beautifully summed up what he feels a racing driver should be, so that the real drivers can differentiate themselves and take advantage of the way all the other drivers can get sucked into a system, leaving an open and fertile field to take advantage of.

Terence Dove