Montezemolo: I expected an official thank you from Ferrari

Ousted Ferrari chief Luca di Montezemolo thinks he deserves more credit for the contribution he made over the years to the legendary Maranello team.

Now 68, the Montezemolo's Ferrari career dates all the way back to 1973, when he became the great Enzo Ferrari's assistant.

He rose to the president's chair in 1991, but was ousted last year amid an acrimonious spat with his successor, the Fiat Chrysler chief Sergio Marchionne, who put a plan to float Ferrari on the stock exchange into action.

Montezemolo now runs the Italian airline Alitalia but is still clearly bitter about his Ferrari ousting and the aftermath thereof.

"When Ferrari went public, of the results they presented, 23 of 24 years were down to me and my people," he told the Financial Times.

"So the least I expected from the owners was an official thank you," added Montezemolo, who is also now heading Rome's bid to host the 2024 Olympics. "I didn't expect a present because the value [of Ferrari] was unbelievable, but at least a thanks."

Last year Montezemolo aired his grievances, about the new regime at Ferrari, when he said, Red Bull, they have imploded. McLaren is in crisis. So at every race Ferrari has a podium in its pocket."

"But when you have luck, you also have to know how to use it. To me that is a merit [of Marchionne and Arrivabene], so is the intelligence not to throw overboard the positive things that had been done before them," added the former Ferrari president.