Ferrari President Sergio Marchionne has stated that the Italian manufacturer needs to be involved in Formula E, as he believes electrification is part of the company’s future.
He was asked about Ferrari’s future involvement in the all-electric series in an interview with the FIA’s in-house publication Auto.
Speaking about how likely it was that the Italian marque would have a Formula E entry in future, he responded, “We need to be involved in Formula E because electrification via hybridisation is going to be part of our future.
“At this stage I don’t know how likely it is that it will happen, but the fact that we are talking about it is a good sign in itself.”
Marchionne also hinted that future Ferrari road cars would soon feature electric powertrain technology, highlighting that the La Ferrari already benefits from a hybrid unit.
“The challenge is to benefit from hybridisation not just in terms of emissions reduction, but also performance.
“We have already developed a hybrid supercar, La Ferrari, and on future Ferrari models we will leverage new technologies as well as electrification.”
It is the clearest indication yet from the Italian team that they will be entering a team in Formula E.
Last November Marchionne had said that the team had ‘agonized’ over whether to enter a team, but decided against it due to the restrictions on car development.
Formula E has seen a number of major manufacturers enter the sport in the last year, with BMW, Jaguar and DS Performance all having increased their involvement.
VW have also announced their intention to concentrate their efforts on the series, and Renault have been involved from series one.
Mercedes have also taken out an option to join Formula E in series five, when teams will be allowed to run one car per race, as opposed to having to switch mid race.
