Montezemolo 'sad', Ferrari chairman strikes tax trouble

Ferrari chairman John Elkann is back in the spotlight this week, as both legal troubles and sharp criticism from Luca di Montezemolo hit Maranello.

Italian reports say Elkann, 49, and his siblings Lapo and Ginevra have accepted a 183 million euro settlement with the Italian Treasury to close a tax fraud case linked to their grandmother Marella Caracciolo’s inheritance.

Alongside the payment, the trio will each perform a year of community service. Prosecutors accused the family of falsely claiming Caracciolo’s Swiss residency to avoid Italian taxation following her 2019 death.

Elkann did not admit guilt, with the plea agreement now awaiting judicial confirmation. The timing coincides with another bruising season for Ferrari on track.

At the Visioni dal Mondo festival in Milan, Montezemolo, 78, lamented what he sees as a leadership vacuum.

“What saddens me today is seeing a Ferrari without a leader,” said the former president, who oversaw Michael Schumacher’s championship era. “There is no leadership, and above all, I see that it lacks a strong and determined soul. Announcements are made that often create excessive expectations. First we get the results, then we make the announcements.”

Montezemolo said stability has been eroded by constant change. “One of the things I learned at Ferrari is that when you win you have to work even harder, and today, when you don’t win, even more so.

"You have to choose the right people. At the time I had very good people, number ones and number twos. (Mattia) Binotto would have been better if he had been able to continue. Constant change means losing stability. If you change, you have to start again.”

He also lamented Ferrari’s prolonged absence from genuine title contention. “I saw the beautiful images of the fans at Monza, and then a team that, despite so many announcements on the eve of the race, hasn’t won a single race lately. And even if they had, Ferrari must win the World Championship after so many years.

“I’ve been through some terrible times because I think we lost nine or ten titles in the second half of the last race. Ferrari hasn’t even reached the last race with a driver able to win for many years. I hope things change, above all for the fans who continue to show unwavering faith. Ferrari today has an even greater responsibility towards them.”