MARANELLO – John Elkann, what is your first memory of Ferrari?
«The F40 and my grandfather’s Testarossa. With my brother (Lapo, ed.) we turned them on secretly. We were less than ten years old.”
Did you know how to start them?
«That was easy. The difficult thing was getting into the garage where he kept them. For us it was a moment of freedom and satisfaction: it’s not that we drove them, but we pressed the accelerator just to hear the noise and inside we daydreamed.”
Did grandfather allow it?
“He really didn’t know.”
First time on the track?
“We were kids in the 80s, it was a F1 dominated by McLaren: they were not happy memories. I am much more attached to the period of Todt and Schumacher, but I was already older.”
«Schumacher still in the Ferrari family»
Who is Schumacher for you?
«Next year it will be 25 years since the first World Championship he won with Ferrari. I already understood how extraordinary he was not only as a driver but as a man. Michael’s teachings are still present in Maranello where he spent a lot of time, even with his children. I was thinking about it the other day at Family Day, where over thirty thousand people participated, never so many. Ferrari is truly a big family. And Michael is still part of it: for me he is not just a champion, but much more: he loved Ferrari and remains much loved by all of us.”
Six years ago he became president. Having taken office in dramatic moments, where did he start from?
«That summer of 2018 was very complicated and painful due to the loss of Sergio (Marchionne, ed.) to whom I was very close. We had to present the industrial plan: there was a need to give a perspective to Ferrari, a company that in the past had been very linked to its founder and then to Fiat. With the 2016 listing it was decided to give Ferrari the possibility of being independent. And that summer we talked about what we would do in the future, starting with people.”
Why?
“Because the founder, Enzo Ferrari, had clearly said it: Ferrari is made up first and foremost of people. We have created jobs, +30% in 6 years, and launched a series of initiatives that aim at well-being and satisfaction: a complete range of welfare services, a widespread shareholding program, a succession of record performance bonuses, continuous training and the global Equal-Salary certification for gender pay equality. And then the issue of the environment…”
What do sports cars have to do with the planet?
«The E-building, the new factory that we inaugurated last week, is the synthesis of a commitment that involves people, technology and the environment together. Also thanks to its 3,000 solar panels, by the end of the year it will be entirely powered by renewable energy, bringing us closer to an important goal: creating extraordinary cars that respect the environment, which bring Italian excellence to the world starting from here, to Maranello. This is why we are strengthening the commitment that binds us to our territory, collaborating with the school founded by Enzo Ferrari, the institute that bears the name of his son Dino.”
Talking about school means thinking about the future. What do you see next?
“When I started talking to Benedetto Vigna, in the days when we were choosing the new CEO, we agreed on the values and the ambition to build the future of Ferrari by focusing heavily on technology and always remaining faithful to the three souls of Ferrari: racing, sports cars and the world of lifestyle. In each of these areas we have introduced great innovations in these six years.”
Let’s start with the cars…
«We have created highly successful models that Ferrari had never produced in its history. Like the Icona, special series that are inspired by our past and are striking for their beauty and originality, like true works of art. Or the Purosangue, the first four-door Ferrari with four seats. Or even the SF90 which brings the essence of a racing supercar to the road.”
Let’s get to the competitions: you are obliged to win in every field. An honor, a burden, a challenge?
“A responsibility, shared with those who work here. An opportunity to always improve. I thought about it while I was writing a letter to the drivers who won at Le Mans, behind them there are so many people who worked with Antonello Coletta to give us the courage to return to competitions that we left 50 years ago, I want to thank them all”.
«Sailing with Soldini
Why sailing (with Soldini), what was the need?
«It’s a wonderful challenge: with Giovanni we are engaged in a completely new project, which projects us into the future. We want to create something that doesn’t exist, and which concerns the balance between man, technology and the environment. And then there is the lifestyle part.”
Would be?
«There is an enormous desire for Ferrari, from customers and our fans. In theme parks and shops we aim to give them a unique experience and products that are unquestionably Ferrari. In Miami I saw the three souls of Ferrari coexist in total harmony like never before, with the lifestyle part totally integrated: the line of our creative director Rocco Iannone was an incredible success and the blue caps for our fans immediately sold out, precisely while the launch of the new 12-cylinder received great enthusiasm.”
Speaking of harmony: maestro Karajan said: «There is no better symphony than a twelve-cylinder Ferrari», who knows what he would think of an electric Rossa. Isn’t that a risk?
«Another great opportunity, it is neither an obligation nor a risk. Inventing is creating emotions. If they wanted to criticize us they could say: “Why haven’t you produced an electric one yet?”. We took the time to make the best electric car possible.”
And the noise?
“Noise is linked to an emotion: Von Karajan said this because he was a great lover of driving. Whoever drives our electric car will experience equally strong emotions, in a different way. Even the silence of nature can give strong sensations, like in sailing.”
«Newey? The right moment must be found”
In Italy, and not only, there is skepticism about electric cars. Why should it be successful?
“It depends on what is proposed. I’m leaving the Ferrari world for a moment: between now and 2030 we will have much less expensive electric cars, and when that time comes we won’t even have to worry about choosing. Returning to Ferrari: we will never dream of taking away the twelve-cylinder engine from those who want it.”
He always quotes Enzo Ferrari. Why, if he never met him?
«But I studied it. I spoke at length with Piero about his father and with people who have a lot of historical memory. I read his book, “My Terrible Joys,” and listened to stories about him. I wanted to be clear about his values: the desire for progress, the legacy to leave to those who come after with an eye always turned forward.”
And his children? Are they passionate about F1?
“They were thrilled with Charles Leclerc’s fantastic victory in Monaco and also the triumphs at Le Mans.”
Ferrari hasn’t won a title in F1 since 2008. When will the wait end?
“We always work towards that goal: this year we have seen progress and also difficulties. We need to continue to grow: we need to find the balance between valorizing the many capable people here, an aspect that I strongly emphasize, and the possibility of attracting new talent. It was nice to hear an engineer who has just arrived from Red Bull talk about our potential. It is confirmation that there is a great desire to come to Ferrari”.
Adrian Newey: Is the Genius Coming or Not?
«There are many evaluations, you have to be careful. The right moment must be found in which to do things, as happened with Hamilton. With him there was a convergence of intent that allowed us to work together. There are many possibilities, Newey or others, you have to carefully evaluate whether the conditions are there. We need to understand what the level of motivation and the ability to create new things rather than replicate others are.”
