As we’ve previously written about, the new man at Ferrari has been swathed in controversy. Sergio Marchionne, also CEO of Fiat-Chrysler, took the helm last September after Luca Di Montezemolo stepped down after 23 years as chairman.
Many have speculated that Montezemolo was pushed to make way for Fiat’s plans for Ferrari – the former owns 90% of Ferrari but will be selling shares this year to raise capital for other projects – or objected to rumoured plans to increase production numbers or even make an SUV.
So far, so bad for Marchionne, who has come under fire from Montezemolo’s supporters? Yet he has recently gained public support from a perhaps unlikely source: Enzo Ferrari’s illegitimate son Piero Lardi Ferrari.
Piero is the only surviving son of Enzo, and recently told an Italian newspaper that he entirely supports Marchionne’s plans.
“My father would have understood (Marchionne) at a glance”, added Ferrari, whose father also undertook a similar purge of Ferrari F1 (after the 1961 season) to the one Marchionne is doing now.
Given how beloved the Ferrari marque is, Marchionne will have a difficult time ahead even with Piero Lardi Ferrari’s support. All eyes are on Maranello this year, and we wait with great interest to see what happens next.