Ferrari: Montezemolo expects “an immediate reaction”
After the resignation of Stefano Domenicali, swiftly followed by the appointment of Marco Mattiacci, Ferrari's president, Luca di Montezemolo, assures that the latter will not be alone in taking on the full responsibility of the team. He will also lend a hand.
Last Monday, Ferrari announced the departure of Stefano Domenicali, the director of the F1 team. This announcement took effect immediately. He was immediately replaced by Marco Mattiacci, the president of Ferrari North America. However, to help the sporting recovery of the Prancing Horse, president di Montezemolo will devote more time to his team. In La Gazzetta dello Sport, he states: “I will help him, I will do what I have already done in the past: I will get closer to Formula 1, I will devote more time to it.”
Montezemolo assumes the choice of a manager, even if he has little experience in the sports field: « The person least satisfied at the moment is me, but don’t worry, I will commit: Mattiacci is the right choice, we will be in a winning dynamic again very soon. I decided to choose a young manager in whom I have a lot of faith, someone who is part of the Ferrari family, therefore, I avoided looking for an international mercenary. Let’s look ahead: we all need to roll up our sleeves to become competitive again. »
According to him, the fact that the new director does not come from the sports world is not an obstacle to his success: « Highlighting the fact that Mattiacci is not a technician is unnecessary and unfair. Moreover, I chose him in perfect agreement with Marchionne (CEO of the FIAT group, ed.). We are full of talented and qualified employees, we are full of technicians, from whom I expect an immediate reaction. »
Then, he went back over Stefano Domenicali’s departure. For Luca di Montezemolo, the former director of the Scuderia is responsible for the current situation, and his resignation was logical and honorable: « After spending 23 years among us, Stefano had the courage to resign, which rarely happens in our country. He pays for the lack of results, that’s a rule in sports. »
Finally, he emphasizes that the sporting record of the Italian team is not ridiculous in recent history: « But let me remind you that since 2007 we have won three world titles and almost added as many, two of them during the last race of the season. It’s not nothing, and we must not forget it, especially because it didn’t happen a century ago. »
Will the Mattiacci shock treatment be enough to resurrect a moribund Ferrari team? The Chinese Grand Prix may provide the beginning of an answer.
