Former Ferrari chairman, Luca di Montezemolo, expects the Scuderia to be struggling for a long time in Formula 1.
The prancing horses are fourth in the constructors standings after three races in 2023 having come away from the Australian Grand Prix empty-handed.
There are fundamental flaws with the car that was the closest challenger to Red Bull last season and now Di Montezemolo thinks it could be a long road back to the top.
“I don’t think it’s a short-term crisis,” Di Montezemolo said. “It’s a question of rebuilding and we need to bring together the best technicians.
I found the triumphalistic speeches in the presentation wrong, I was expecting a car that evolved from last year.”
Learn from the past
Di Montezemolo was at the helm in Maranello in the early 1990s during one of the team’s low periods. He opted to make vast changes in key areas and they brought about the most dominant era in the history of Ferrari.
“I took [Jean] Todt, [Stefano] Domenicali, [Ross] Brawn, and [Rory] Byrne,[Michael] Schumacher came later,” Di Montezeomolo continued. “The crisis was very black, but a team was built.
“Even going to recover some technicians of different nationalities on the market, it would be necessary to bring culture into the company in the sectors where there is a need.”
Charles Leclerc‘s Australian GP came to an end after three corners as he was spun into the gravel and left beached on the opening tour of the 58-lap event.
Carlos Sainz did cross the line in fourth but a five-second penalty for contact with Fernando Alonso saw him drop to 12th as the race ended behind the safety car.
Ferrari have only scored 26 points so far this season which is considerably less than the 104 they had after three rounds in 2022.
