Ferrari chairman, Luca di Montezemolo, emmited today a communicate announcing dimmission from Ferrari’s higest role. After twenty-three years of dedication, eight constructors’ championships and six drivers’, Montezemolo leaves his place to Sergio Marchionne, who will lead the new era.
This Wednesday we received the announce of Scuderia Ferrari’s chairman stepping down. The Italian is leaving his home since 1991. Luca gave Ferrari new titles after several years without winning anything, building the era in which the most successful driver in the whole F1 history won his titles. All of Michael Schumacher titles were won with Montezemolo as Ferrari chairman.
Since 2008 the Scuderia has no title. Kimi Räikkönen was the last driver to win a title with Ferrari, in 2007, and the next season, 2008, Ferrari received its last title, the constructors’. After these six years, the Scuderia has seen no title, losing a drivers’ which was in their hands, 2010 Alonso’s.
This 2014 is one of the worst seasons this century for Ferrari. Just two podiums were achieved by Fernando Alonso and their home race was a complete disaster. Alonso abandoned for mechanical problem – something that never happened him driving for Ferrari – and Räikkönen could only achieve a ninth place after not being able to reach the Q3. This event plus other – Montezemolo was present in a lot of races during the season start – feeded the topic that when Montezemolo was present in the circuit, the race would be awful.
Sergio Marchionne, executive FIAT’s president, is to get Montezemolo’s place to start the new Ferrari era and get it to new results. After Stefano Domenicali leaving also the team principal role and being replaced by Marco Mattiaci, the Ferrari team is now completely different and will take a new direction.
This is the letter emmited by Luca di Montezemolo, who titled it “I leave after 23 unforgettable years”:
“Ferrari will have an important role to play within the FCA Group in the upcoming flotation on Wall Street. This will open up a new and different phase which I feel should be spearheaded by the CEO of the Group.
This is the end of an era and so I have decided to leave my position as Chairman after almost 23 marvellous and unforgettable years in addition to those spent at Enzo Ferrari’s side in the 1970s.
My thanks, first and foremost, to the exceptional Ferrari women and men from the factory, the offices, the race tracks and the markets across the world. They were the real architects of the company’s spectacular growth, its many unforgettable victories and its transformation into one of the world’s strongest brands.
A warm farewell and my thanks also to all of our technical and commercial partners, our dealers across the globe and, most particularly, the clients and collectors whose passion I so wholeheartedly share.
But my thoughts go also to our fans who have always supported us with great enthusiasm especially through the Scuderia’s most difficult moments.
Ferrari is the most wonderful company in the world. It has been a great privilege and honour to have been its leader. I devoted all of my enthusiasm and commitment to it over the years. Together with my family, it was, and continues to be, the most important thing in my life.
I wish the shareholders, particularly Piero Ferrari who has always been by my side, and everyone in the Company the many more years of success that Ferrari deserves.”