Ex-Ferrari F1 boss Luca Di Montezemolo makes surprise McLaren switch
Former Ferrari chief Luca Di Montezemolo has made the switch to McLaren.
Former Ferrari F1 boss Luca Di Montezemolo has been appointed as a director of the McLaren Group Holdings Limited.
The group controls the McLaren Automotive business which oversees and has a minority stake in the F1 team.
A Companies House filing in the UK on Friday confirmed that Di Montezemolo had been appointed as the ninth director of McLaren Group Holdings Ltd.
The 77-year-old Italian was a long-standing key figure at Ferrari, having joined the Italian squad in 1973 to assist Enzo Ferrari.
Di Montezemolo was appointed Ferrari president in 1991 and played a crucial role in returning F1’s most famous team to winning ways.
He formed a superteam consisting of team boss Jean Todt, legendary designer Rory Byrne and Ross Brawn, while he also signed Michael Schumacher, who would go on to win an unprecedented five consecutive world titles with Ferrari between 2000-2004.
Following a 23-year spell in charge, Di Montezemolo resigned after Ferrari’s woeful 2014 season.
Di Montezemolo joins McLaren on the rise
Di Montezemolo’s arrival on the board of directors comes at a time of success for McLaren.
After securing the constructors’ world championship for the first time in 26 years in 2024, McLaren are leading the way in both championships this season.
Oscar Piastri holds a 22-point advantage over teammate Lando Norris in the drivers’ standings heading into this weekend’s Austrian Grand Prix.
Meanwhile, McLaren are a whopping 175 points ahead of Mercedes in the constructors’ championship.
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