‘Sebastian Never Caused Any Trouble’: Ex-Ferrari Chairman Defends Vettel

The former Ferrari chairman blamed the team’s current struggles on its inability to retain technical talent.

Ex-Ferrari chairman Luca di Montezemolo has said he is unhappy about the manner and timing of Sebastian Vettel’s departure from the Maranello-based team.

“I didn’t like the timing and the way Seb split up with the team. Sebastian has never caused any trouble, [he] always worked as part of a team.”

READ: Ferrari Confident It Will Improve Power Unit For 2021

Continuing, di Montezemolo said, “He took victories that others wouldn’t have taken in a car that wasn’t always competitive.

“Sebastian, like Michael Schumacher, has to feel at home, he needs, like Michael, an environment that supports him, that defends him and, above all, protects him,” di Montezemolo said in his recent interview with RTL.

“This was the case with Michael with Jean Todt and I did it with Niki Lauda in my early days.”

Luca di Montezemolo also commented on Ferrari’s decline, blaming its current struggles on poor management.

“The problems came after 2014, unfortunately,” he said, adding that, “The people who managed Ferrari then had neither experience in Formula 1 nor competence for Formula 1, and they thought that you could win quickly in Formula 1 just like that.”

He described the decision to let technical director James Allison leave Ferrari as a “big mistake”, and said there are other examples of Ferrari being unable to retain technical talent in recent years.

Article continues below

“And then they made the mistake of transferring very good technicians from road car production to Formula 1. Completely different skills are required there,” he added.

“Enzo [Ferrari] always told me that if there is – I am exaggerating now –  the best driver in Guatemala, get him.

“The same applies to the technicians. We have to hire the best people to improve performance. And these technicians must help the young talents among them to grow,” di Montezemolo stressed.

The Scuderia are expected to struggle at their home Grand Prix at Monza this weekend, with the SF1000 woefully down on straight-line speed.

Enjoyed reading this article? Consider sharing it: