Maserati S.p.A. | ||
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Background | ||
Based | ![]() | |
Founded | 1 December 1913 | |
Founder | Alfieri Maserati | |
Key People | Davide Grasso (CEO) | |
Industry | Automobiles | |
Formula E Record | ||
Début | ![]() | |
Total Entries | 0 (0 Starts) | |
Wins | Poles | FLs |
0 | 0 | 0 |
Total Points | 0 | |
Current Season | ||
Team(s) | ![]() |
Maserati S.p.A., simply known as Maserati, is an Italian automotive manufacturer which specialises in producing luxury vehicles including sports cars.[1] A member of the Stellantis Group, Maserati was the first Italian road car manufacturer to join the FIA Formula E World Championship, and would make its debut using powertrains supplied by sister company DS during the 2022/23 season.[2]
Background[]
Maserati's origins can be found in a quintet of brothers, Alfieri, Bindo, Carlo, Ettore and Ernesto Maserati, who would build various vehicles in the early twentieth century.[1] Alfieri Maserati subsequently founded Società Anonima Officine Alfieri Maserati on 1 December 1913 to build two-litre Grand Prix cars for Diatto, with brothers Bindo and Ernesto, based in Bologna.[1] The brothers would also design spark plugs and other electrical equipment for the Italian military during the First World War, before returning to automobiles post-war.[1]
Racing Ruler: 1926 - 1957[]
Diatto withdrew from racing in 1926, prompting Maserati to begin building cars to compete with themselves, claiming early success with victory in the 1926 Targa Florio with Alfieri at the wheel.[1] The Italian manufacturer began making a variety of Grand Prix cars, with the group continuing to operate in-spite of the death of Alfieri in 1932.[1] In 1937 the remaining brothers, Bindo, Ernesto and Ettore, would sell their shares to Adolfo Orsi, resulting in the relocation of Maserati from Bologna to Modena.[1]
Maserati continued to enjoy major international victories until the start of the Second World War, with victory in the Indianapolis 500 in both 1939 and 1940 the highlight, making Maserati the first and only Italian marque to do so.[1] The Second World War saw Maserati's resources turned again to supporting the Italian war effort, barring an impromptu race with Ferry Porsche to design and build a staff car for Benito Mussolini.[1] In 1946 Maserati returned to the automotive world, and would again focus on building Grand Prix cars as the final ties with the Maserati family were cut.[1]
The new Maserati that emerged would enjoy great success in the first years of Formula One, claiming numerous victories and one Drivers' World Championship through the efforts of Juan-Manuel Fangio in 1957.[1] However, after Guidizzolo Tragedy at the 1957 Mille Miglia the Italian marque ended its official motorsport programme, instead opting to focus on building road cars.[1]
The Italian Tourer: 1957 - 1993[]
The release of the 3500 GT in 1957 saw Maserati formally enter the Grand Tourer market for the first time, with the Italian marque's production approaching 1,000 units for the first time.[1] Various iterations of the 3500 GT would follow, before Orsi sold the marque to Citroën in 1968, with Maserati initially planned to become the French marque's de facto luxury brand.[1] Citroën funding generated more innovation with Maserati's designs, resulting in the mid-engined Bora and the second generation Quattroporte II.[1]
Unfortunately Maserati's gathering pace was halted by the 1973 Oil Crisis, which saw the sportscar market effectively collapse in Italy, Maserati's main market.[1] Furthermore, Citroën would go bankrupt in the midst of a two-year recession, prompting the French firm to form PSA Peugeot Citroën, while Maserati was put into liquidation.[1] Various negotiations, controlled by the Ministry of Industry in Rome, then saw Maserati purchased by GEPI, with Alejandro de Tomaso taking control as CEO.[1]
de Tomaso would slowly begin to buy out the Italian state's GEPI stakes in Maserati, getting full control in 1989 after also enhancing Maserati's use of de Tomaso designs and equipment.[1] Later that year de Tomaso would sell 49% of Maserati to FIAT, with the Italian manufacturer eventually purchasing full ownership on 19 May 1993.[1]
Stellantis Cascade: 1993 - Present[]
Under FIAT, Maserati would initially be partnered with rivals Ferrari, with the latter buying 50% of shares in Maserati in 1997, and later obtaining full control in 1999.[1] Maserati was given funding for a new factory, and would be given access to Ferrari's designs and components, culminating in the Ferrari Enzo based Maserati MC12.[1] The MC12 was duly picked by Maserati to relaunch its motorsport ties, and would earn two FIA GT titles for Maserati in its lifetime.[1]
2005 saw Maserati split from Ferrari at the behest of FIAT, and instead get partnered with Alfa Romeo to form the Maserati-Alfa Romeo Group, with Abarth later added in 2010.[1] That grouping saw Maserati begin to expand overseas once again, becoming one of FIAT's more prominent brands in the United States in the 2010s.[1] In January 2021, after two years of negotiation Maserati as well as all other FIAT brands were incorporated into the wider Stellantis Group after the merger of FIAT Chrysler Automobiles with PSA Group.[3]
Maserati was also long touted as FIAT's electric brand, with the Italian marque announcing on 17 June 2022 that it would go fully electric by 2030, using Folgore as its brand name for EVs.[4]
Formula E History[]
Maserati was heavily rumoured to be a future entrant in the FIA Formula E World Championship in the latter-part of the Generation 2 era, and would actively being investigating an entry during the 2020/21 season.[5] Then, on 10 January 2022 the Italian marque announced that it would indeed join the FE Championship, with the status of being a brand/manufacturer beginning in 2022/23 at the start of the Generation 3 era.[2] As a result of this status, Maserati would use powertrains developed by sister Stellaris member DS for their maiden FE campaign, while also signing a deal to partner with the existing Venturi Formula E Team, announced in April 2022.[6]
Products[]
Maserati will enter the FIA Formula E World Championship as a brand/manufacturer, meaning they will be registered as a powertrain supplier from the 2022/23 season onward.
References[]
Videos and Images:
References:
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14 1.15 1.16 1.17 1.18 1.19 1.20 1.21 1.22 1.23 1.24 'Fearless: A History of Defiance, Distinction and Desire.', maserati.com, (Maserati S.p.A., 2022), https://www.maserati.com/gb/en/brand/A-history-of-innovation, (Accessed 14/05/2022)
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Sam Smith, 'MASERATI RETURNS TO MOTORSPORT WITH 2023 FORMULA E ENTRY', the-race.com, (The Race, 10/01/2022), https://the-race.com/formula-e/maserati-returns-to-motorsport-with-2023-formula-e-entry/, (Accessed 11/01/2022)
- ↑ Breana Noble, 'Stellantis merger to close on Jan. 16 after PSA, FCA shareholders approve', eu.detriotnews.com, (Detriot News, 04/01/2021), https://eu.detroitnews.com/story/business/autos/chrysler/2021/01/04/groupe-psa-fiat-chrysler-shareholders-vote-stellantis-merger/4102655001/, (Accessed 14/05/2022)
- ↑ 'Maserati will offer electric versions of all its cars by 2025', gulfbusiness.com, (Motivate Media Group, 17/03/2022), https://gulfbusiness.com/maserati-will-offer-electric-versions-of-all-its-cars-by-2025/, (Accessed 14/05/2022)
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
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- ↑ 'MANUFACTURERS CONFIRMED FOR START OF ABB FIA FORMULA E WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP GEN3 ERA', fiaformulae.com, (FIA Formula E, 31/03/2022), https://www.fiaformulae.com/en/news/2022/march/gen3-manufacturers, (Accessed 31/03/2022)