Luca di Montezemolo was president of Ferrari for greater than 20 years and finds himself in despair on the present state of the well-known System 1 outfit he as soon as led
A former Ferrari chief has mentioned it has introduced him “large, large ache” to have seen the workforce wrestle for therefore a few years. Probably the most profitable workforce in System 1 historical past, the Italians are within the midst of a prolonged championship drought having not gained a title since 2008.
President of the workforce on the time was Luca di Montezemolo, who served as Ferrari president from 1991 to 2014. Now aged 77, he has issued a scathing critique of the present Scuderia management, having watched on from afar.
“For me it’s a large, large ache,” he instructed F1 Locations . “I used to be with Ferrari for 23 years. That is about half the working lifetime of a median particular person. I understand how it needs to be. At this time I see a workforce with out actual management, with out spirit and with out ardour.”
Whereas success on monitor continues to elude the workforce, they’ve made spectacular industrial progress in current occasions. Expertise big HP was signed as title sponsor whereas the arrival of Lewis Hamilton has given a large increase to merchandise gross sales and likewise the father or mother firm’s inventory value.
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However Di Montezemolo stays essential of each these choices, taking specific exception to the workforce’s one-off livery used on the Miami Grand Prix which noticed splodges of blue added to the automotive to have fun HP. “I don’t need to see a Ferrari with a livery aside from all purple,” mentioned the Italian.
“For me, it’s a joke. I used to be instructed that this was for sponsorship functions however, in my time, it was the other. Sponsors would pay tribute to Ferrari, not the opposite manner round.
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“I additionally heard that the choice to rent Lewis Hamilton was made for advertising and marketing causes. I’ve nothing in opposition to Hamilton. I respect him and his document, however I feel Ferrari ought to rent a driver as a result of they’re aggressive and robust, not due to advertising and marketing.
“It is rather unhappy to see Ferrari completely happy to realize third place on the rostrum. I anticipate extra, however I am additionally sufficiently old to know that it’s troublesome if you’re half a second off the tempo in System 1. I need to see Ferrari preventing for the championship. Third shouldn’t be our place, we have to be first.”
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Hamilton has struggled to provide his greatest kind since becoming a member of Ferrari, although it’s clear that the workforce shouldn’t be at its most potent proper now. Requested what he would do if he had been introduced again to steer the workforce once more, Di Montezemolo mentioned: “I might summon everybody collectively and inform them that I need to see enthusiasm and keenness from each considered one of them.
“I might additionally need everybody to very clearly perceive who’s accountable for what. Everybody should know their roles and tasks, and have very clear priorities. I might need to pinpoint the areas of weak spot and start engaged on a plan to ship a aggressive automotive and workforce. Ferrari wants a powerful chief, somebody who can’t solely deliver the workforce collectively but additionally combat for the workforce in entrance of the game’s authorities.”
