Former President SLAMS Ferrari for their failure to be ‘protagonists’ in F1 title fight

Luca di Montezemolo wants Ferrari to fight for the title till the last race.

Former President SLAMS Ferrari for their failure to be ‘protagonists’ in F1 title fight

Luca di Montezemolo (image via F1sport.auto.cz), Fred Vasseur (image via Eurosport)

Scuderia Ferrari is the most successful team in Formula 1. However, the Italian team has suffered from a title drought since 2008, when it last won the Constructors’ championship. Ferrari has failed to make a mark in 2023 as Max Verstappen looks set to win another world title. Now, former Ferrari President Luca di Montezemolo has expressed his disappointment with the team.

Di Montezemolo believed that the Scuderia needed to put up a fight for the title till the final stages of the season, irrespective of the result. The former Ferrari president affirmed the need for Ferrari to be part of the championship battle rather than making up the numbers on the grid. Racefans.net quotes him, “As a fan I dream of a Ferrari not that always wins, but that fights for the title until the last race. As in 1997, 1998, 1999, 2008, 2010, 2012. You can lose but as protagonists, not as extras.”

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Ferrari is going through a massive overhaul under the leadership of new Team Principal Fred Vasseur. The Frenchman joined the Scuderia earlier this year and has been tasked to bring glory back to Maranello. Although, the 2023 season remains a period of development for the Italian team as it tries to catch up with Red Bull.

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Ferrari needs to focus on personnel other than drivers

Luca di Montezemolo, Michael Schumacher and Jean Todt (image via Financial Times)
Luca di Montezemolo, Michael Schumacher and Jean Todt (image via Financial Times)

Di Montezemolo led Ferrari to championship victories with Niki Lauda in the 1970s. The former Ferrari president even signed Jean Todt as Team Principal in 1991. Todt oversaw the historic years at Maranello with Michael Schumacher in the early 2000s. As such, personnel played a significant role across the Scuderia to ensure its title success.

The 75-year-old believed that Ferrari didn’t need to worry about its driver line-up with Charles Leclerc, one of the finest drivers in the sport. He said, “He’s good and I don’t think there are free riders stronger than him. But in the present who drives the red is the least of the problems. As president I had built a dream team, from Schumi to Todt, from Brawn to Byrne.”

Luca di Montezemolo was far from happy with Ferrari’s recent results in F1. The Former Ferrari president was adamant that the Scuderia needed to be the focus of the championship battle in the sport. Di Montezemolo admitted that even a failed title fight is acceptable if the Italian team can put up a fight till the last race of the season.

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