Luca di Montezemolo - Verstappen best, Ferrari needs overhaul

Former Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo says he could quickly identify what is needed to relaunch the struggling Maranello team, while also declaring Max Verstappen the outstanding driver of modern Formula 1.

The 78-year-old ex-Ferrari and Fiat boss made the remarks at the London premiere of Luca, Seeing Red, a new documentary about his life. La Gazzetta dello Sport reported that the gala attracted an elite guest list including Bernie Ecclestone, Stefano Domenicali, Mattia Binotto, Andrea Stella, Adrian Newey and Lawrence Stroll.

"If I were to return to work for Ferrari tomorrow morning, within a week I would have a clear idea of which people to put in different positions to be successful," Montezemolo said.

He also hailed Verstappen’s form, fresh from his Ferrari 296 GT3 debut victory at the fearsome Nurburgring Nordschleife. "Max Verstappen is clearly the best driver in my opinion, and he demonstrated it even in the last race in Baku under difficult conditions. He was always fast and never made mistakes," he said.

But Montezemolo stressed that no driver can succeed without the machinery. "If Enzo Ferrari always said that 50 percent is done by the car and the rest by the driver, now the car does 80 percent, and we need to grow as a team," he explained.

As for Ferrari’s current lineup, Montezemolo was complimentary. "Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc were a very good driver pairing," he said. "But there’s no question that, in my opinion, Verstappen is by far the best."