Ferrari has expressed a keen desire to tie up with an American F1 team in the near future if its idea to allow teams to provide a third car is accepted.Following yesterday's admission by Parris Mullins, the advisor to YouTube co-founder Chad Hurley, that he hopes to lead an American investment push into F1 by getting involved with current teams, Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo has dropped his own hint about a way forward.
In a lengthy interview with Gazzetta dello Sport, di Montezemolo has reiterated his desire for Ferrari to be able to supply a third car – but he has gone further in suggesting he wants it run by an American outfit.
"I dream of a third Ferrari managed by an American team, with the Stars and Stripes flag," di Montezemolo told Gazzetta dello Sport.
Mullins told AUTOSPORT yesterday that he had made contact with Ferrari earlier this year about potential arrangements for the future when he was trying to save US F1 from collapse, and reckons there was a mutual interest in working together in the future.
"When I met Stefano [Domenicali], obviously Ferrari was not a solution for US F1 for 2010," said Mullins. "But they pledged whatever support they could give within the rules – whatever they could provide. We had a Cosworth engine contract, but they [Ferrari] know that America is their largest market and they were keen to work with us."
As well as the idea of running a third car in the future, di Montezemolo has also said he would support the idea of cutting F1 weekends down to just two days, with Friday running being eliminated. When asked if he supported the idea, he said: "Certainly. As long as we go back to testing between races. We need tests to try out the car, to experiment, especially us since we transfer a lot to road cars.
"And besides, we want to get back to using the Fiorano track, over which we have invested money: we are constructors, not people racing as a hobby."
This article originally appeared in Autosport.com
