Colourful and controversial, Luca di Montezemolo is Ferrari's outspoken and flamboyant president. Born into an aristocratic family in Piedmont with ties to the Agnelli family, he studied law at the University of Rome La Sapienza before furthering his education at Columbia University in New York.

He drove briefly for Lancia as a rally driver but decided to concentrate on his education and in 1973 landed a job at Ferrari through his FIAT connections. He worked closely with Enzo Ferrari and in 1974 took over the running of the F1 team. He was instrumental in Niki Lauda's championship victories in 1975 and 1977, and on the back of his successes became the youngest ever senior manager in the FIAT empire.

He worked in a number of roles through the 1980s, including a role organising the Italia '90 World Cup, and his fame and popularity increased. After Enzo Ferrari's death in 1988, the legendary marque was left rudderless and in 1991 Montezemolo was brought back to return the company to its former glory. He turned Ferrari's debts into profits and, after a rocky period in the early-1990s, built a multiple championship-winning F1 team around Jean Todt and Michael Schumacher.

He has always been outspoken about the future direction of the sport and in 2009 led the Formula One Teams Association's threat to create a breakaway series when the FIA attempted to impose a budget cap. However, his opinionated views and strong Ferrari bias have also led to some criticism, with Bernie Ecclestone saying: "Luca's a lovely guy but he likes to say these things and then he forgets what he is saying."

His success with Ferrari has led to speculation that he might turn his hand to Italian politics in the future.