What this boils down to is influence and money. The major manufacturers, who have for so long now held a position of political power that by constitutional right they never had any legitimate claim on, are intent on holding onto an authority given to them via a broken political system which had been bent and buckled by money.
Of critical importance in this fight is the fact that Ferrari, the biggest name in world motorsport, has played its only real trump card and threatened to withdraw from Formula 1 should they deem the sport's new direction to be in contradiction to their own desires.
Ferrari have issued this threat countless times before. They did so under Enzo, they did so under di Montezemolo and they are doing so again under Marchionne. It is their biggest and only real play. But is it real, or are they simply grandstanding?
It is key to understand that, for Ferrari, this is about far more than just engine regulations. Liberty has, since its very first days in charge of this sport, made it abundantly clear that the era of Ferrari's special status and resultant payouts are over. For decades now, Ferrari has stood at the roulette wheel and played the highest stakes game. But such is their privileged position that they've never had to put a dime on the table. They've never had to actually gamble, instead simply taking from the house with every spin of the wheel. But the casino has new owners. And Ferrari's line of credit is done. If they want to carry on playing, they're going to have to start paying.
Ferrari talks a big game. But would it actually make good on its threats? After all, where else would it go and race? Formula E, perhaps. But victory in the electric championship is not going to add to or embolden the lustre of the brand. A full-on assault on WEC, then, with a proper LMP1 program? Well the problem with that suggestion is the budget. The top LMP1 teams operate on finances not that far removed from the top Formula 1 teams. But Ferrari has received such a tremendous payout from its participation in Formula 1 that it can run in the self-proclaimed pinnacle of global motorsport for the princely sum of nothing. It will not spend the hundreds of millions of dollars required to go and race LMP1. Even Ferrari can't afford to do that.
And besides, Ferrari is a publically listed company. Marchionne can make as much noise as he wants. But at the end of the day the decision is not his to make. It falls to the board, and they will never vote to remove the biggest feather in the company's hat.
Which leaves Ferrari's threats feeling somewhat hollow. Ferrari is the team who cried wolf. Sympathy and any belief that they will follow through with their intimidation has long ago expired.