Gucci president and CEO Marco Bizzarri has knocked back claims he is set to take over at the head of Ferrari.
Former Ferrari CEO Louis Camilleri resigned from the position in December 2020, with chairman John Elkann taking over the role on a temporary basis.
Ferrari are very much looking to appoint a permanent successor to Camilleri, and a name that has cropped up in the media is Gucci’s CEO, Bizzarri.
But while Bizzarri acknowledges his strong affection for Ferrari having been born close to their famous Maranello base, and still living nearby, talk of him taking over as CEO is merely “gossip”.
“For those who, like me, were born and still live near Maranello, Ferrari is a mythical brand. But I’m already at the helm of an Italian legend, Gucci, which this year celebrates its centenary with its next 100 years ahead of it,” Bizzarri told WWD – “It makes me smile to read headlines like ‘Bizzarri at the wheel of Ferrari’, but if anything they make me regret not having pursued a career as a racing driver! The rest is just gossip.”
Elkann has already said Ferrari must “start over with humility” after a very disappointing 2020 for their Formula 1 team. P6 in the Constructors’ Championship was their worst showing for 40 years. A great past does not necessarily mean a great present and a great future. We have to start over with humility,” he said during a conference call about the company’s financial accounts, as quoted by Gazzetta Dello Sport.
“We are not satisfied with our current results in Formula 1 and we will work with humility and dedication to change them.”
The Scuderia will be hoping a change of driver line-up will give them a solid platform to improve upon their 2020 efforts.
Following back-to-back P6 finishes in the Drivers’ Championship with McLaren, Carlos Sainz arrives at Ferrari for the 2021 campaign after the team decided to release four-time former World Champion Sebastian Vettel at the end of his contract.
Alongside Ferrari Driver Academy graduate Charles Leclerc, Ferrari hope to have a stable and successful driver pairing for many seasons to come.
And while 2022 is the year when Ferrari hope to return to the front of the grid under the new regulations, the minimum target for 2021 is P3 in the Constructors’ standings.
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