Former Ferrari chairman blasts the Italian team's lack of ambition:"The old man would not have accepted it"

Former Ferrari chairman Luca di Montezemelo has cited the team's celebrations for a P3 finish in Spa to ridicule its lack of ambition.

The Italian outfit secured its third podium of the season in Belgium. Charles Leclerc and team principal Fred Vasseur considered it a step up for the team in terms of progress as compared to its rivals.

Di Montezemelo, however, was disappointed with the celebrations as he felt that Enzo Ferrari, the legendary founder of the brand, would not have appreciated it. Talking to Quotidiano, he said:

“You know what I’m sorry about? Celebrating a third place, like Spa. This is not like Ferrari and the old man would not have accepted it. Never. Ferrari taught me a lot. For example, never to be satisfied. After a win, he immediately thought about the next race.”

Talking about the team and where it finds itself, Montezemelo felt that they should keep Leclerc. He added that the focus needs to be on playing a key part in the remainder of the season and said:

“Charles, I would certainly confirm him. He’s good and I don’t think there are free drivers stronger than him.

“Look, as a fan I dream of a Ferrari that doesn’t always win, but that fights for the title right up to the last race. Like in 1997, 1998, 1999, 2008, 2010, 2012. You can lose, but be protagonists, not extras.”

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Enzo Ferrari hated the summer break

Luca di Montezemelo also fondly spoke about how Enzo just hated the summer break that was imposed on teams in August. Detailing an incident with the former team owner, he said:

“Commanding! For example, Enzo hated holidays, in August he kept me in the office, he couldn’t stand people going on vacation. But he was also a funny guy. Do you know the one about the telephone? He said that in the office I was always on the phone talking to beautiful women. So one morning he showed me a huge pink telephone on the desk.”

Di Montezemelo was one of the catalysts of the Italian brand's revival in the 1990s. They had not won a title since 1979 and was in disarray when Jean Todt was hired. Todt ultimately lured Michael Schumacher to the team in 1996 and from that point onwards, it started becoming a factor in the championship.

It wasn't until 2000 that it won the title, but with that success, the Italian outfit was ready to take over the sport. Schumacher then put together a dominant five-year reign and became the most accomplished driver in the history of the sport.