Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo has dismissed media claims that he is on the verge of leaving the Italian team.

Amidst growing speculation that he is heading off to run national airline Alitalia - ironically at the centre of a major strike today - the Ferrari boss held court in the paddock at Monza today, attracting a media scrum more intense than anything witnessed at Spa two weeks ago.

"I've heard a lot of rumours regarding myself," he said. "This is often happening in the summer in Italy, maybe this time it is a little bit too much.

"I am working," he continued, "I am here not to have a vacation, I am here because we are working very hard. We have in front of us very important months, we will present a fantastic new car in the Paris motor show at the beginning of October.

"The women and men in Ferrari to me are the most important part of my life and I took a commitment with them," he added. "We are preparing an historic record at the end of this year in terms of financial and economic results. Ferrari is facing a fantastic moment.

"So that's it. If and when there will be some news about me, I will be the first... I emphasise the first to let you know."

However, despite the heroic efforts of Fernando Alonso, who qualified seventh, the first non-Mercedes driver on the grid tomorrow, Kimi Raikkonen's twelfth paints a more realistic picture of the Maranello outfit's current competitiveness. Consequently, the rumours continue, rumours that continue to link Ross Brawn with the team.

With the Scuderia of the prancing horse yet to score its first win of the season it was unsurprising that large gaps in crowds in the grandstands were noticeable.

Despite the insistence of the company president it seems hard to believe that should the team's poor form continue there will not be gaps in the team’s management also in the very near future.

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