Montezemolo is 'shocked' by Ferrari's performance in China, according to Ecclestone.

      "Italy has never faced such humiliation"

      Ferrari’s former president expressed being "appalled" by the team's double disqualification following the Chinese Grand Prix. This statement comes from Bernie Ecclestone, the ex-F1 chief, who spoke with Luca di Montezemolo at Eric Clapton’s 80th birthday celebration in London over the weekend.

      "I ran into Luca there," Ecclestone, 94, shared with his long-time friend and journalist Roger Benoit from Blick newspaper. "He (Montezemolo) was shocked by the two disqualifications in China," the small-statured Brit asserted. "Italy has never faced such a humiliation since the World Cup began."

      Italy didn't qualify for the last two World Cups in 2018 and 2022. Ferrari’s team principal Frederic Vasseur explained the double disqualification for two different technical violations, attributing it to merely exceeding the limits.

      However, Ecclestone accused, "Clearly, there was an absence of a proper process to thoroughly check the cars after qualifying. The rule concerning car weight has been in place for decades." He added, "Just drive through the dirt after crossing the finish line and pick up as many stones as possible with your tyres in the gravel trap."

      Video evidence showed drivers, including the underweight Charles Leclerc and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, even driving onto the grass to achieve that after the chequered flag. Vasseur also stated that Leclerc’s disqualification resulted from a mix of factors: one-stop strategy tyre wear, missing pieces of the front wing, and "There was also a loss of a litre of water from his hydration system."

      Interestingly, Leclerc experienced a drinks bottle leak in Australia, leading to a humorous exchange over the radio with his engineer. "Is there a leak?" he asked his engineer Bryan Bozzi. "I have the seat full of water," Leclerc continued. "Must be the water," Bozzi replied, to which Leclerc joked: "Add that to the words of wisdom."