Ferrari’s double disqualification in China left Montezemolo speechless — a moment of deep embarrassment for Italy, both in sport and pride.
Former Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo was reportedly stunned by Ferrari’s double disqualification after the Chinese Grand Prix — a moment he described as a national embarrassment.
That’s according to Bernie Ecclestone, the 94-year-old former Formula 1 boss, who caught up with Montezemolo at Eric Clapton’s 80th birthday bash in London over the weekend.
“I saw Luca there,” Ecclestone told longtime Swiss journalist Roger Benoit from Blick. “He was genuinely shocked by what happened in China. Italy hasn’t seen anything this humiliating since the World Championship began.”
Montezemolo, who led Ferrari during its golden era in the early 2000s, compared the incident to Italy’s painful absence from the 2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cups — a blow to national pride.
Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur explained the disqualifications came from two separate technical violations, claiming the team had simply been “pushing the limits.”
Ecclestone Calls Out Ferrari Failings
But Ecclestone wasn’t convinced: “There was clearly a failure in the process of properly checking the cars after qualifying. The weight rule has been around forever.”
He added, half-jokingly: “All you have to do is drive through the gravel after the finish line and pick up as much debris and rubber as possible to make weight.”
Cameras actually showed several drivers, including Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, deliberately veering off track after the race — likely to do just that.
Meanwhile, Ferrari’s ongoing issues don’t stop there. A faulty drinks system in the SF-25 might be another reason their race weekend unraveled (more on that here).
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Ferrari Shame in Shanghai: Montezemolo ‘Stunned’
Ferrari Shame in Shanghai: Montezemolo ‘Stunned’
