Ex-Ferrari president critical of SF90

Former Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo delivered a disparaging review of the Scuderia's 2019 challenger, the SF90, over a change to a matte paint job. Montezemolo says the Ferrari scarlet is "sacred", but admits his concerns will wash away if the SF90 is a title-winning car.

Montezemolo was Ferrari president during their golden period with Michael Schumacher in the cockpit.

The former Scuderia supremo says people were similarly critical of him due to Schumacher's hesitance to become fluent in Italian, but is sure that the SF90 will be fondly cherished if it ends Ferrari's wait for a title, which stretches back to 2008 in the constructors' championship and 2007 in the drivers'.

"The Ferrari red in my opinion is sacred, it is a brand recognised across the world and therefore I do not really like it," Montezemolo told TuttoSport.

What a beauty ???? @Charles_Leclerc #SnapshotSaturday #essereFerrari pic.twitter.com/rhQssH0wbQ — Scuderia Ferrari (@ScuderiaFerrari) February 23, 2019

"It is like changing the colour of a flag and I am not convinced by the story that in doing so we have saved some weight.

"But if all this should lead to a long-awaited success, then I would be willing to put aside the sorrow for the colour.

"It's a bit like in Schumacher's time, when the then president of the Cossiga Republic told me: 'But how is it possible that he does not say a word in Italian?'

"I replied that if to win five world championships in a row you had to have a driver who did not speak Italian, I would certainly not be sorry."

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