F1 | Montezemolo: “Mercedes began working on power units in 2007”

In an interview given to the newspaper "La Repubblica", Luca Cordero di Montezemolo returned to the choice to switch from the old V8 engine to the new V6 turbo hybrids, underlining how it was a serious strategic error on the part of Scuderia Ferrari. According to the current President of Alitalia, Mercedes had been working on the "hybrid" project since the 2007 season, which is why all the teams had to expect a scenario of this type. The Stuttgart company, we remember, has dominated the scene undisputedly since the 2014 season, having won six world titles divided equally between the world championships for drivers and constructors.

Here are the words of Luca Cordero di Montezemolo: “Reasoning on the facts and looking carefully at the past, I can say that switching to hybrid engines was a serious mistake on our part. Niki (Lauda.ndr) recently declared that Mercedes had been working on power units since 2007, so today's situation could have easily been predicted even then. On the flip side, however, I can say that it seemed like the right choice to be on the side of innovation. I didn't want a scared Ferrari."

Roberto Valenti