17/04/2014
NEWS STORY
Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo would do well to watch the 1973 horror classic The Wicker Man as he insists he has total faith in new team boss.
In the thriller, described by some as the Citizen Kane of horror, and not to be confused with the mind numbingly dreadful 're-make' starring Nicholas Cage in 2006, a policeman is tricked into visiting a pagan island where the crops have failed.
Finally aware that he is to be used as a human sacrifice in an attempt to appease the gods and thereby ensure a bountiful harvest the following year, the policeman warns the leader of the worshipers that next year when the harvest fails again, as it surely will, it will be him who has to pay the price and be sacrificed.
Likewise, as debate continues as to whether Stefano Domenicali was pushed before he had time to jump, many wonder how long President di Montezemolo will be able to appease Fiat before he pays the ultimate price.
No doubt aware that this could be his own 'last chance saloon', Montezemolo has thrown his weight behind his new man, whilst admitting that he too will play more a hands-on part in future.
"He's the right man for the job," he told reporters at the team's Maranello HQ. "I have heard and read a lot of reports that are off the mark, about Mattiacci not being a technical expert. But we're all technical people here at Ferrari.
"I wanted to stake our credibility on someone from inside the family, because that family has a wealth of qualities and abilities," he continued. "Now we have to roll up our sleeves, even though it's easy to forget how much you've won in the past when you're going through a lean spell.
"Mattiacci will start making a difference at the Chinese Grand Prix on Sunday," he added. "He's going to be at the helm for a long time".
Despite, Montezemolo's professed confidence, neither Fernando Alonso or Kimi Raikkonen - aka Glum and Glummer - looked too convinced in Shanghai today, the mood in the Ferrari garage unusually sombre... almost as if they'd just been watching The Wicker Man.
Summer is a coming in...
Chris Balfe