Montezemolo delivers damning Ferrari verdict: 'They're no longer there, not even close'

The 79-year-old, who oversaw Ferrari through its extraordinarily successful Michael Schumacher era, said what troubles him most is no longer simply the absence of titles but how far the team has fallen from genuine contention. Ferrari has not won a drivers' championship since Kimi Raikkonen in 2007.

Montezemolo, who won 19 world championships between drivers and constructors during his time at Ferrari, believes the present structure is missing a powerful figure at the top. He drew a direct comparison to the leadership model that delivered sustained success during his era.

"In F1 you need a perfect organisation and a strong leader," he told AS. "Enzo Ferrari was the all-time great, but when I was there next to him, Jean Todt was emerging."

He went further, adding: "Today, looking from the outside, I think there's a lack of leadership. It's glaring."

The interview was published during the Azerbaijan Grand Prix weekend, where Ferrari's difficulties were once again on display. George Russell took pole position for Mercedes by over eight tenths of a second, with Charles Leclerc second and Lewis Hamilton only sixth, more than 1.3 seconds off the pace.

Montezemolo's comments land at an awkward moment for team principal Fred Vasseur, whose position has become a subject of intense Italian speculation.

As GPblog has previously reported, former F1 drivers have recently acknowledged that Vasseur is not "the main problem," but stressed that the person in charge ultimately carries responsibility when results fail to materialise.

Italian journalist Giorgio Terruzzi has also claimed that Vasseur has acquired the nickname 'Napoleon' inside Maranello, while Christian Horner's name has resurfaced as a hypothetical alternative for the role.