Montezemolo: Hamilton is not a marketing gimmick for Ferrari

Montezemolo presided over Ferrari's great eras in F1, first as team principal during the great Niki Lauda era in the mid-seventies. He departed for other things (organising an Olympics, for instance!) before returning to head up Maranello again and unite Michael Schumacher with Jean Todt. That delivered their greatest winning streaks and the first ultra-dominant spell (half a decade) as top dogs in F1 with Schumie.

Since then Ferrari has gone through a number of overhauls, including the sad Sergio Marchionne era; the late Canadian businessman proved to be a clueless buffoon when it came to the racing team. The Italianisation of Maranello under Mattia Binotto was ill-conceived and contrary to Montezemolo's multinational team that set the template for dominance in the sport.

The best people for F1, irrespective of nationality, are Frenchman Todt, German Schumacher, Englishman Ross Brawn, South African Rory Byrne, and a majority of very good Italians, who are what made the Scuderia great at the time.

Looking ahead to Hamilton's arrival at Maranello, Montezemolo, like most true F1 fans, is enthralled by the prospect: "Ferrari has not had a driver problem in recent years. Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc have driven strongly.

"But Hamilton is a phenomenon like Verstappen. His signing is not a marketing gimmick. Lewis wants to end his career on a final high, as world champion with Ferrari. That could be extremely interesting, provided Ferrari can close the gap to the top and a car that is fast in all conditions and on all types of track."

Looking back on the season past, Montezemolo told Speedweek, "2024 was an unpredictable season, and it was nice to see Ferrari so strong at the end of the year. That gives us courage for the future. At the same time, it stabbed me in the heart—I have not forgotten that our Fernando Alonso only needed fourth place in the finale in Abu Dhabi in 2010 to snatch the title."

The former Ferrari team boss, of course, referencing the narrow miss the great Spaniard suffered. A third title still beckons for Alonso.

Montezemolo also praised Verstappen, now a four-time F1 World Champion: "Max often did not have the fastest car, sometimes not even the second or third best. In 2024, he really had to rise above himself to successfully defend the title."

On the subject of overly aggressive driving in F1, Verstappen, often a culprit of some dubious tactics on track, said: "Sometimes I wonder how today's F1 leadership would react to a duel like the one between Villeneuve and Arnoux. I think they would be thrown in prison."

The former Ferrari boss refers to the epic battle of Dijon, with Gilles Villeneuve in his Ferrari and Rene Arnoux in the Renault, rubbing wheels and more! Colliding several times in their gritty battle for second place in the 1979 French Grand Prix behind race winner Jean-Pierre Jabouille in the other Renault.

"For me, people are overreacting today, both when two cars touch and when they drive over the track boundaries. You have to leave room for emotion and courage. A Formula 1 driver shouldn't have to pay attention to every millimeter. All of this should be questioned and reconsidered by the association," suggested Montezemolo.