Montezemolo: Schumacher still the best

Amid continued speculation that Kimi Raikkonen is on his way to Ferrari for 2007, di Montezemolo has made it clear that the team are still hoping their current star driver will decide to extend his stay at Maranello.

Schumacher's current contract runs out at the end of next year.

"It's up to the driver to decide," di Montezemolo said about Schumacher's future plans. "It will be him saying whether he'll carry on racing.

"But for us Michael Schumacher isn't just the present at Ferrari, he's also the future. For the will, the determination and the results he has, he remains the best.

"If he quits I'll be sorry, but I know that if he decides to do so, it'll be because he doesn't feel like being number one anymore. Then it will be better that way. But I see he still has the will.

"Let's say that at Monza we'll know what he'll do."

Schumacher's eventual decision whether to continue in F1 or retire will most likely depend on how competitive Ferrari are next season.

Di Montezemolo, who was speaking at Ferrari's Christmas party, admitted that the Maranello team had simply got it wrong this season - with a car that was hailed by technical director Ross Brawn and chief designer Rory Byrne as the team's best ever.

"They were wrong," the Italian said. "But this will be good for all of us, from the president down. We needed a bath of humility. But this car (the F2005), it must be said, wasn't a pile of junk.

"We, and who worked with us, didn't do our job properly, with a bad interpretation of the new regulations."