Ex-Ferrari F1 chairman hints he would have kept Carlos Sainz alongside Charles Leclerc
“Sainz and Leclerc was a very good couple. But no question, Verstappen is by far the best in my view. By far.”
Former Ferrari chairman Luca di Montezemolo has hinted he would have retained Carlos Sainz alongside Charles Leclerc, praising the pairing as a “very good couple” for the team.
Montezemolo was Ferrari chairman between 1991 and 2014.
The Italian oversaw Ferrari’s rise back to the front of F1, and their dominance with Michael Schumacher in the early 2000s.
Montezemolo was responsible for signing Kimi Raikkonen from McLaren as Schumacher’s replacement, and Fernando Alonso later down the line.
In September 2014, Montezemolo was replaced by Sergio Marchionne, bringing an end to his tenure as Ferrari boss.
Since then, Montezemolo has only made sporadic F1 paddock appearances.
However, a documentary about his life and career called ‘Luca: Seeing Red’ premiered in London on Thursday.
Montezemolo addressed a range of topics, including Max Verstappen.
The 78-year-old has no doubts about which driver is the standout in terms of the current grid.
“Today I have to say, for me, Verstappen is by far the number one,” he said as quoted by Reuters.
“Even in the last race in Baku, difficult conditions, he never lost control. He was always quick. He never makes mistakes.”
Sainz-Leclerc earn praise
Montezemolo was keen to point out that Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc were a very strong driver pairing.
Ferrari narrowly missed out on the constructors’ championship last year, finishing 14 points behind McLaren.
Ferrari decided to replace Sainz with Lewis Hamilton for this season.
The seven-time world champion’s first year with the Scuderia has been generally underwhelming despite progress in recent races.
“Sainz and Leclerc was a very good couple. But no question, Verstappen is by far the best in my view. By far,” he added.
Montezemolo didn’t mention Hamilton or current Ferrari boss Frederic Vasseur.
“If tomorrow morning I will be obliged to go to work in Ferrari, in one week I have clear in my mind who to put in different positions,” Montezemolo explained.
Montezemolo also praised ex-Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto.
Binotto is Audi CEO and is spearheading their team ahead of 2026.
“I am happy now for Binotto… he is investing in the future with a good Brazilian young driver looking ahead,” he concluded.
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