(By Denis Greenan).
Ferrari President Luca di
Montezemolo said he was confident former Ferrari North America
car sales chief Marco Mattiacci would rev up the struggling
Formula One glamour team as replacement to Stefano Domenicali as
team principal after another sluggish start to the season.
"He's the right man for the job," Montezemolo said,
dismissing contentions that former Jaguar GB executive
Mattiacci, 42, would be out of his depth in a sporting world he
has never frequented.
"I wish all the best to Marco Mattiacci, whom I know to be
a highly regarded manager and who knows the company well," he
said, praising the former sales manager for "accepting this
challenge with enthusiasm".
Montezemolo said he had "no doubt" Mattiacci would be able
to cope with the demands of arguably F1's most high-pressure
job.
"I decided to bank on a young manager I really believe in,"
Montezemolo said at the presentation of Ferrari's new
turbocharged street dream car, the California T.
"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," Montezemolo stressed.
"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 already start making a difference at the
Chinese Grand Prix in Shanghai on Sunday," the Ferrari chief
concluded, predicting: "He's going to be at the helm for a long
time".
Despite dismissing concerns over Mattiacci's inexperience,
Montezemolo said he would himself "get closer to the team during
this transition and take a more hands-on role until Marco gets
the hang of things".
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