A former Ferrari chief has expressed concerns for the future of the most famous marque in Formula 1.
The Scuderia is making another change at the top this winter, after the resignation of team principal Mattia Binotto. While the announcement was framed as the Italian stepping down after four years, it is understood he felt he did not have the full confidence of the company's executive director John Elkann.
And such changes are hardly foreign to Ferrari at this point. Such is the desire for success at Maranello – the team's most recent F1 title came in 2008 – four different men have held the role of team principal since 2014.
Someone who knows more than most about the importance of stability at Ferrari is Luca Cordero di Montezemolo. His own stint as team principal in the 1970s was short-lived, but he served as the team's president for 23 uninterrupted years between 1991 and 2014 – including one of the marque's most successful periods ever.
It was during his tenure that the dream team of Jean Todt and Ross Brawn were brought together and given time to carry out their vision. That produced eight constructors' titles between 1999 and 2008, spearheaded on track by Michael Schumacher behind the wheel.
Since then the road has been more rocky. Stefano Domenicali, now chief executive of F1, was team principal for a little over six years before he resigned in April 2014. And since then Marco Mattiacci, Maurizio Arrivabene and Binotto have all tried and failed to deliver success in shorter spells.
Giving his thoughts on the team's current situation, Di Montezemolo expressed his concern at yet more upheaval at Maranello. "I'm sorry about the situation at Ferrari and I'm worried," he told the Italian outlet Corriere dello Sport.
"In these moments, since I really care about Ferrari, I prefer not to comment other than to note that it seems to me to be a company without a leader."
In one of his final official acts as team principal, Binotto was in Bologna on Wednesday to represent Ferrari at the latest meeting of the World Motor Sport Council. But he will not attend the FIA's prize-giving gala on Friday, with sporting director Laurent Mekies attending instead alongside Charles Leclerc.
Mekies is rumoured to be in the frame for the top job, though the overwhelming favourite is Frederic Vasseur. The Frenchman is currently team principal at Alfa Romeo, but his future there is not expected to be a long-term one with Sauber set to become Audi's F1 works team by 2026.
