Montezemolo refutes any association with the F1 team.
"My heart will always remain red"
Luca di Montezemolo has emphasized that he will not be involved in the management of McLaren’s Formula 1 team. The 77-year-old served as president of Ferrari for more than twenty years until 2014, overseeing the highly successful era of Jean Todt and Michael Schumacher. He famously expressed his bitterness upon being ousted and replaced by Sergio Marchionne. "They can remove me from Ferrari, but they can never remove Ferrari from me," he stated at that time. This bitterness seemed to linger, as the legendary Maranello brand moved forward, often without any reference to its former leader.
Recently, Montezemolo spoke to Blick newspaper, stating: "Ferrari has become a team without a heart." He also criticized Ferrari’s current leadership. Therefore, it came as a shock to many when it was announced this week that Montezemolo is now a director at McLaren’s automotive division, McLaren Automotive, thus putting his Ferrari legacy behind him. However, he asserts that he is not disloyal to Ferrari in the racing arena. "I have joined the board of directors of McLaren Automotive, which produces cars and is not associated with Formula 1," he told Ansa news agency.
In April, McLaren Automotive was purchased by the Abu Dhabi sovereign wealth fund SYVN Holdings, which also acquired a minority stake in the Woking-based F1 team. Montezemolo reiterated, "My heart will always remain red. My association with McLaren is restricted to road cars and has nothing to do with racing."
The F1 paddock continues to be rife with speculation regarding the future of Ferrari team principal Frederic Vasseur, as rumors suggest that his three-year contract may not be renewed. "The Scuderia often appears to be on the verge of success but fails to achieve it," former Ferrari driver Gerhard Berger remarked to Kleine Zeitung at the Red Bull Ring. "It’s difficult for the Italians and their supporters to accept this, which is why personnel changes keep happening. But that only results in more chaos within the team. They simply cannot establish consistency on the track," the Austrian added.
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