Di Montezemolo, the son of an aristocratic family from the Piedmont region of
Italy, said: “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.”
Di Montezemolo has been one of Formula One’s great characters and powerbrokers
for decades. In 1973, he became assistant to founder Enzo Ferrari, before
managing the team from 1974. He won two championships with Niki Lauda, and
went on to hold a number of different roles in Fiat in the 1980s. He then
became manager of the organising committee for the 1990 World Cup, before
returning to Ferrari as president in 1991.
Di Montezemolo, with Jean Todt as team principal, returned Ferrari to winning
ways with Michael Schumacher, taking their first drivers’ championship for
21 years in 2000. Ferrari dominated the sport for much of the decade.
Politically, he was also an enormous force. In 2008, he founded the teams
association, which was used largely as a vehicle to undermine then FIA
president Max Mosley. Di Montezemolo also exuded charisma, with his regular
entrance to the Monza paddock on Saturday afternoons attracting massive
attention.
However, a series of poor results for the Formula One team in recent years
left di Montezemolo under increasing pressure. Ferrari have not won a
championship since Kimi Raikkonen’s in 2007, and have had to watch a number
of opportunities for Fernando Alonso slip through their fingers at the final
race in 2010, and 2012.
Sergio Marchionne, the Fiat boss who publicly criticised di Montezemolo after
the race at Monza, where Ferrari scored just two points, is expected to take
over for now.
The outgoing president added: “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.”
Di Montezemolo’s departure comes on the same day as the death of Emilio Botin,
the president of Santander, who was a huge supporter of Formula One and
Fernando Alonso in particular.
His sudden death, of a heart attack, adds another layer of confusion to
Alonso’s future, depending on how much Santander continue to support F1 and
Ferrari, and whether they would prefer to see the Spaniard move back to
McLaren.
Botin came into F1 as a sponsor with McLaren in 2007. McLaren chief Ron
Dennis, said he was “shocked” at the news.