No Wrooom for you!

Journalists mourn loss of free vacation as Philip Morris pulls funding from the traditional Ferrari alpine holiday.

Another bullet to bite for Ferrari, the sole remaining Formula One team with a big tobacco sponsorship.  Tobacco advertising is banned from Formula One but only overtly,  the connection between F1, Ferrari and Marlboro is still alive and well in countries where tobacco advertising is still allowed.

Unfortunately big tobacco is not as big anymore and Philip Morris, or Altria as the company is now rebranded, pulled funding from the week long winter festivities in Madonna di Campiglio, held for the past 23 years to celebrate Ferrari and, more recently, Ducati's latest machines and drivers in front of the invited press.

A big blow for local hotels and businesses, and no more winter ski break for the motoring press,  no more pictures of F1 drivers' awkward skiing and bad riding,  no more more ice racing in Cinquecento and karts....

FF Slalom

It's the annual Wrooom festival whereby press and assorted luminaries get invited to the Italian Alps for a few days of Ferrari and Ducati press availabilities and swag distribution. Ferrari puts on a bit of a show, like having two FF's parallel slalom on groomed snow, something that incidentally they accomplish with much more ease than any of the current Ferrari driving staff seems to be able to do!.

At a press conference today, Fernando Alonso seemed to be playing the low expectation game, saying correctly, that it's too early to get all worked up about the 2012 car. I'm pretty sure that did not go over all that well with Di Montezemolo who is all about enthusiasm. Well, at least the boss did not stuff the FF in a sand trap snowbank this time!

The bizarre choice of soundtrack is as inexplicable but oddly appropriate.




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