Luca di
Montezemolo has been Ferrari President for a little over
twenty years, but he has never lost his enthusiasm for a
role, which as he often says, is his life. “I have been
Ferrari President for twenty years. It’s a great
responsibility, but it’s fantastic,” said Montezemolo in
an interview with CNN recorded last week and broadcast
today. “We are present in about sixty markets around the
world. A few weeks ago, I went to Stanford University
and I spoke to seven hundred youngsters. I am very proud
of the fact they were there, not to hear me, but to
listen to the President of Ferrari.”
Montezemolo stressed his faith in the Scuderia’s chances
of taking victory in the 2012 championship: “Definitely
yes, it’s possible. We must try to win and I am very
proud of the fact that, since 1997 to today, apart from
a very few years, Ferrari has either won or missed out
by a whisker.
“We have always been at the top. In this sport, it’s
difficult to win, but even harder to constantly stay at
the top. At the beginning of the year, I was very
disappointed in the car as it was not what I had
expected it to be, but we have fantastic people in the
team. I push them very hard and they work day and night.
I have every confidence in Stefano Domenicali, in whom I
invested for the future. Alonso is fantastic and I am
also very pleased with how Massa’s weekend went in
Monaco: I’m counting on him to take valuable points off
our competitors. However, there is a lot of work to do,
because I am not yet satisfied. Some days ago, I sent a
message to all the team, underling the fact that winning
depended on us alone. Everyone must give their all. We
must be perfect. Each one of us must secure pole
position in our own jobs. We still need to improve the
car and I am very happy with the way the team has
reacted.”
The President did not shirk from the ritual question
regarding the Scuderia driver line-up, both current and
future. “At the moment, I am concentrating on everything
except this. We will see later. Alonso is the best
driver in the world. Alonso is one of those drivers,
like Lauda and Schumacher, who have had a great
importance in my professional life and in that of
Ferrari. He has all the requisites for winning, but we
need to improve the car. I think Felipe will do well in
the second half of the season. Let us not forget that,
in 2008, he crossed the finish line in Brazil as
champion, only for Hamilton to just squeeze him out of
it. Alonso has a fantastic attitude: just like
Schumacher, he knows how to work closely with the team
and he maintains that positive attitude, even in the
difficult moments. Now the aim is to improve for the
round in Canada.”
Finally Montezemolo mentioned the organization of
Formula 1 in the future, referring to the Concorde
Agreement that will apply from 2013. “I think there must
always be a triangle: the FIA, the teams and the
commercial rights holder,” said Montezemolo. “I have
always worked for this. We must all work in the same
direction and the Concorde Agreement is vital. We need
new regulations and we are spending too much. Ferrari
races because Formula 1 is a sport, but also because it
represents the most advanced technical research
laboratory, with an important spin-off for road cars:
however, aerodynamics is becoming too important,
therefore this element is being lost.
“As for the IPO, I feel it is a good thing for
transparency and stability. It is the best solution and,
in this case too, there should be the triangle I
mentioned earlier.”
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