Montezemolo odchodzi z Ferrari

Miesiąc temu pojawiły się sugestie, że Luca di Montezemolo, obejmując posadę prezydenta linii lotniczych Alitalia może opuścić Ferrari. Kilka dni później z ust “il presidente” usłyszeliśmy, że Ferrari zajmuje w jego życiu bardzo ważne miejsce, tuż po rodzinie, co można było odczytać jako zaprzeczenie pojawiających się plotek.

Tydzień poprzedzający weekend wyścigowy na Monzy znowu zaowocował pojawiającymi się informacjami o odejściu di Monetezemolo z Maranello. Sposób, w jaki Mattiaci oraz Alonso, odpowiadali w miniony piątek na pytania związane z przyszłością ich szefa, sugerował, że coś może się wkrótce wydarzyć. I wydarzyło…

Dziś rano świat obiegła informacja, że Luca di Montezemolo ustąpił z zajmowanego stanowiska. Jego następcą będzie Sergio Marchionne, dyrektor wykonawczy Fiata. Decyzję poprzedziła dwudniowa wizyta Marchionne w Maranello.

Poniżej treść oświadczenia prasowego opublikowana w serwisie Fiata:

Montezemolo quits Ferrari, Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne to become new Chairman

Luca Cordero di Montezemolo has announced his intention to resign as Chairman of Ferrari with effect from October 13th following completion of Ferrari’s celebration of 60 years in America.

Fiat CEO, Sergio Marchionne, will take over as Chairman of Ferrari. Since 1991, Ferrari achieved significant results under Montezemolo’s chairmanship in terms of both financial performance and its standing in the world of racing. Under his leadership, Ferrari boasted a world-class team and numerous record-setting achievements.

“On behalf of my family and myself, I would like to thank Luca for all he has done for both Fiat and Ferrari”, said Fiat Chairman, John Elkann. He held several key positions with the Group, including serving as Chairman of Fiat from 2004 to 2010, and we shared many challenging but also rewarding moments. Luca leaves us with my most sincere and heartfelt wishes for his future professional endeavors and the hope, I am certain shared by us both, that Ferrari will return to victory very soon.”

“Luca and I were appointed to the Fiat Board of Directors on the very same day back in 2003”, said Fiat CEO, Sergio Marchionne. “One year later, he became Chairman and I became CEO. We worked side by side, sharing concerns, difficulties and successes. As Chairman of Ferrari, he drove the company to a new level of technological and organizational excellence which also brought with it outstanding financial results. Luca and I have discussed the future of Ferrari at length. And our mutual desire to see Ferrari achieve its true potential on the track has led to misunderstandings which became clearly visible over the last weekend. I want to thank Luca for all he has done for Fiat, for Ferrari and for me personally.”

Turin, 10 September 2014

Również Luca di Montezemolo odniósł się do tych wydarzeń:

“This is the end of an era and so I have decided to leave my position as Chairman after almost 23 marvellous and unforgettable years in addition to those spent at Enzo Ferrari’s side in the 1970s.”

“My thanks, first and foremost, to the exceptional Ferrari women and men from the factory, the offices, the race tracks and the markets across the world. They were the real architects of the company’s spectacular growth, its many unforgettable victories and its transformation into one of the world’s strongest brands.”

“A warm farewell and my thanks also to all of our technical and commercial partners, our dealers across the globe and, most particularly, the clients and collectors whose passion I so wholeheartedly share.”

“But my thoughts go also to our fans who have always supported us with great enthusiasm especially through the Scuderia’s most difficult moments.”

“Ferrari is the most wonderful company in the world. It has been a great privilege and honour to have been its leader. I devoted all of my enthusiasm and commitment to it over the years. Together with my family, it was, and continues to be, the most important thing in my life.

“I wish the shareholders, particularly Piero Ferrari who has always been by my side, and everyone in the Company the many more years of success that Ferrari deserves.”