Luca and Michael, Michael and Luca

[senna12]

So Luca Di Montezemolo figures it's time to leave.

http://www.itv-f1.com/news/news_story/11521

What does he mean, "a cycle is over?" I should think Ferrari have reached a high point in a cycle, certainly not to have completed one.

If he's not on FIAT's board, which is obvious, or he would have known about the sale, then he's not very high on the "need to know" list. Must have been a hell of a blow to his ego.

I have read some web stories recently, which claim that Michael and Luca are not getting along as famously as in the past, especially in light of recent events, which have caused poor Michael a good deal of embarrassment, and damage to his, ahem, reputation.....

Knowing Michaels' pull within Ferrari, do you think he's helping things along, as it were, with a little behind the scenes manoeuvering, discreetly, of course?

Possibilities for replacement, anyone?

[Jukebox]

Just look at Monaco thru itv live feed before the race, both of them walk pass eachother knocking shoulders as Michael didn't make way for Luca.

It is also said that GM is going to buy FIAT and if that happens, i would like to see Luca booted!

[Sato san]

Luca's been there ona nd off since the 70's hasnt he . Maybe he will take a step back for a while , without stepping down altogether

[BBKing]

In my view Montezemolo is the first victim of the Austria fiasco. Like it or not that even made a lot of damage to FIAT. I don't think it sends a good message knowing that Schumacher runs Ferrari the way he is running it.

[RT]

It's probably got nothing to do with anything but Luca's career.

He's mostly one of the italian upper crust. He dabbles in big league issues (e.g. World Cup organization)and other such things. Luca di Montezemolo has been courted by the Silvio Berlusconi government for a cabinet level position for quite a while.

He may not be happy about Austria or the Fiat thing but it's pretty shortsighted to think they're major factors. He's not a true F1 man. He's one of the elite and he's finally outgrown the Ferrari team.

We're talking about an ambitious, successful guy with a proven track record in business and politics who probably has his eyes set on the top positions of the italian government.

I don't really think he gives a rat's arse about whether Rubinho is going to be asked to move over or not the next GP. Not anymore...

Cheers,

RT

[senna12]

I am certainly no expert on Italian politics, but I think a cabinet position in their government would be a dangerous career move. Like most governments, scandals are frequent occurrences.

Why would recent events not be factors? Considering the timing of his announcement, if you were to claim that current events played no part, that would indeed be shortsighted. When added to his "slight" at being left out of the loop on the sale, he could have easily said "I don't need this kind of **** anymore".

The part of the story that gets you thinking, is the claim about having completed a cycle. If they were down, now they're up, and as they are continuing to improve, the cycle is not complete until they are down again. Can he really say he has done all he can at Ferrari? And what the hell, running Ferrari would be the dream job of any Italian, I would think. A government job would be a step backward, IMHO.

Who will replace him?

[RT]

Dear Senna12:

Luca has been reportedly offered, for several months, the top job (yes a minister) of the Italian Sports Ministry.

You talk about timing...Well consider this theoretical announcement:

"Successful, aristocratic businessman and sportsman who rebuilt Ferrari and took it to several F1 world championships is now being given the task of rebuilding, in a similar way, the italian sports program (read soccer program) to restore the Squadra Azzurra to its rightful position......etc, etc.".

Does it sound crazy after Luca put together the World Coup a few years ago?

It would be good PR for S. Berlusconi and good for Luca since he'd be taking over the sports complex at a low ebb where he could expect to be seen as a savior. Berlusconi comes, as I'm sure you know, from the showbiz world. Is it too crazy to think that Luca would want the sports ministry as a springboard for bigger and better things.

All I'm saying is that the timing is right for reasons unrelated to F1.

Cheers,

RT

[BBKing]

Sounds good RT. But you are not considering a big factor when it comes to the "rebuilding" stories. FIA is in Ferrari's pocket while FIFA is not married with the Azzurra (yet...LOL).

You cannot expect FIFA banning Brazilian players on the grounds of safety (Like FIA did to McLaren in the beryllium ban) or to let the Azzurra play with 12 players (Teamorders....LOL).

Luca might find difficult to accomplish the same level of favoritism from FIFA for Italy compared to the one FIA has for Ferrari....LOL

[freud]

Originally posted by BBKing
In my view Montezemolo is the first victim of the Austria fiasco. Like it or not that even made a lot of damage to FIAT. I don't think it sends a good message knowing that Schumacher runs Ferrari the way he is running it.

Point to ponder. Ultimate responsibility for that debacle rests on Luca. It looks as if there is pressure on him from certain quarters in Ferrari. I thought the person who will suffer from the fiasco would be 'Toad' because the Toad seems to be the weakest link among Ferrari infrastructure.

[RT]

Originally posted by BBKing
Sounds good RT. But you are not considering a big factor when it comes to the "rebuilding" stories. FIA is in Ferrari's pocket while FIFA is not married with the Azzurra (yet...LOL).

You cannot expect FIFA banning Brazilian players on the grounds of safety (Like FIA did to McLaren in the beryllium ban) or to let the Azzurra play with 12 players (Teamorders....LOL).

Luca might find difficult to accomplish the same level of favoritism from FIFA for Italy compared to the one FIA has for Ferrari....LOL

It is precisely the ruthlessness and efficiency of the "team orders issue" (they did get away with it, didn't they?) that is a perfect background for someone to come in, take over, kick butt and win as sports leader. It would be a heck of a springboard to become prime minister eventually.

The World Cup fiasco is Luca's golden opportunity. It may come to some as a surprise but there are people over there, for whose ambition, egos and connections, running Ferrari for a few more years is not enough.

There have been too many stories about Luca going to run italian sports to dismiss them, specially in view of his latest statements.

For crying out loud !! I mean, put yourselves in Luca's shoes. There's a world of possibilities out there while at Ferrari he cannot go any higher.

In the end, we'll see Luca LOL'ing all the way to the very top.

[senna12]

Originally posted by RT

All I'm saying is that the timing is right for reasons unrelated to F1.

Cheers,

RT

And my point is that the current conditions at Ferrari would/could/will contribute to the timing of his leaving.

And I also think the "ruthlessness and efficiency of the "team orders issue"", has turned out to be a PR disaster for Luca and the team. After all, MS said the buck stops at the top.
Berlusconi should hope for a more thoughtful Luca, when the time for big decisions come in government.

If his ego is that big, perhaps Luca fancies himself to be another Jean-Marie Messier!

[Valve Bounce]

If you go to F1-Live, and check out the story: "10 questions for Mark Webber", you will note that one of the questions addresses the persistant rumour which surfaced at Monaco that it was in fact MSch who told Toad to order Rubens to move over so that he could win the one race not on his record of wins.
Now if you go to the other story about Irvine saying that Rubens way of pulling over made things infinitely worse than if he had developed a mysterious brake problem 10 laps earlier. MSch at first insisted that the team orders were given just before the finish, a lie which was exposed by Toad who insisted the order was given just after the second pit stop. Now, it seems that Jacques comment that MSch should have stood on the podium and accepted the trophy like a man makes sense; MSch was so taken aback by all the jeering and cat whistles that the guy shoved Rubens up there to carry the can for him.
It seems that MSch's order plus Rubens' late move took Toad and Brawn by surprise, and these guys then had to cover up for MSch., although teh Toad wouldn't go as far as to say that he gave the order just before the finish. Luca de Montezemolo was severely enbarrassed when he had to then justify the blatant and unecessary team orders at Ferrari. The sale of the large slab of Ferrari by Fiat took everyone by surprise, although if a company is going to make such a big financial move, they usually keep things pretty much under wraps.
So I suppose things will eventually fall into place as the truth leaks out. It seems Eddie developed brake problems, pit stop problems, and I don't know what other problems more often than we thought.
This is not a MSch bash post, just a way that things seem to be shaping up. I'll even go as far as to agree that MSch and his mates did nothing wrong according to the rules - only the fans didn't appreciate this display of greed and selfishness. Yep!! I totally agree that it turned out to be a PR nightmare, which will continue to stink for years to come.

Valve[img]http://www.**************************/smilies/bouncy.gif[/img]

[Nicholas]

Planetf1 reported Todt saying that TGF knew damn well what was going to happen ten laps before the end.