No brand is more closely associated with Formula One than Ferrari. But Fiat Chrysler Automobiles seems to want one of its other brands to try to forge that type of connection with the FIA’s all-electric world championship in people’s minds.
FCA is considering entering Formula E, but not with Ferrari, CEO Sergio Marchionne told Motorsport.com on Wednesday.
Marchionne was asked about whether a FE campaign was in Ferrari’s future plans following the news that the Italian marque’s F1 rival, Mercedes, would join the championship in 2019. Shortly after Mercedes announced its move, Porsche voted to enter FE at the expense of its Le Mans Prototype 1 operation.
“I talked with Toto (Wolff), but I do not think Ferrari enters directly,” Marchionne said. “However, we are thinking of doing so as FCA. And if we will enter, with one of the brands from the group, we do not know which one it will be right now.”
Given that the electric open-wheel series is contested largely by premium manufacturers, such as BMW and Jaguar, FCA likely would choose Alfa Romeo and/or Maserati. Either one would be plausible, as both are Italian luxury brands that competed in F1 during the category’s infancy, though Alfa seems like the more probable option.
Alfa Romeo entered nearly twice as many F1 Grand Prix as Maserati (110 compared to 56 ), is the manufacturer that gave Enzo Ferrari his start and its Quadrifoglio emblem is advertised on the side of Scuderia Ferrari’s SF70H racers.
What’s more, FCA is attempting to relaunch Alfa Romeo in the U.S. and FE would give it a good platform to appeal to a younger demographic. Plus, Alfa highlighted its racing heritage in its Super Bowl LI commercial, so we wouldn’t be surprised if it has its sights set on returning to the world of motorsport.
Thumbnail photo via Ferrari
