Former Ferrari president takes firm stance over latest team order drama

Ferrari heads into its home Grand Prix at Monza still dealing with the aftermath of what happened at Zandvoort, where the management of Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton became a major talking point. Hamilton was closing rapidly on his teammate and had a chance to fight for the podium. By the time Ferrari eventually separated the two cars through strategy, Hamilton's opportunity to challenge for a top-three finish had effectively slipped away.

In an interview with Quotidiano Nazionale, Montezemolo addressed the criticism aimed at Vasseur following Ferrari's handling of Hamilton and Leclerc at the Dutch Grand Prix. The former Ferrari president believes the wider issue goes beyond what happened at Zandvoort, questioning who within the company Vasseur can rely on when difficult decisions have to be made. In his view, the Frenchman appears isolated and could find himself without sufficient backing if he were forced to make an unpopular call.

Montezemolo drew a comparison with Ferrari's controversial team orders involving Michael Schumacher and Rubens Barrichello in Austria during his presidency in 2002. He recalled how Jean Todt instructed Barrichello to hand victory to Schumacher because the decision was considered to be in Ferrari's best interests. When Barrichello complained, Montezemolo personally intervened to reinforce Todt's authority, making it clear that the Brazilian would have to accept the team's decisions or look elsewhere.

Former Formula 1 driver Juan Pablo Montoya has criticised Leclerc for ignoring Ferrari's instruction to pit ahead of Hamilton during the Dutch Grand Prix. Speaking to AS Colombia, the Colombian compared the situation with Mercedes' team orders at Zandvoort, where George Russell allowed Kimi Antonelli through to chase eventual winner Lando Norris. Montoya believes Mercedes handled its situation effectively, while Leclerc's refusal to follow Ferrari's call risked undermining the team's authority and creating unnecessary tension within the garage.

Although Montoya does not believe Hamilton would have reached the podium, he feels the seven-time world champion was denied the best possible opportunity after using up his tyres while trying to stay with and overtake Leclerc. In his view, Ferrari should have given Leclerc a clear performance target and a limited number of laps to increase his pace before ordering a position swap or making the pit call. Despite the controversy, Montoya considers tension between teammates a normal part of Formula 1 and believes their relationship does not necessarily have to be as harmonious as it may appear on social media.