Former Ferrari boss, Luca di Montezemolo admits that the Italian team's deficit to Mercedes is staggering.

While there is no arguing that the SF-26 makes the best starts, and has done so since pre-season testing, once the 'push-me, pull-you' madness of the first few laps is out of the way the Mercedes W17 slowly but surely pulls away.

The Ferrari might be the second-best car out there, and the W17's only competition, but in many respects it is a mere spectator as the German car disappears into the distance.

"I'm sorry to say, at least judging by what we've seen so far this season, that they have a good car but not one capable of winning the world championship," Montezemolo tells Corriere della Sera.

"What hurts me most is that in the last ten years they've never made it to the final race still in contention for the drivers' title," he adds. "In my day, we lost eleven championships at the very last moment. I remember them as punches in the stomach, but at least we were there fighting for it."

Asked if he believes the Maranello marque can still close the gap, he replies: "The gap is quite staggering, but the teams chasing the leaders can improve. Perhaps it's not quite as cut-and-dried as it seems."

The Italian, who worked alongside legends such as Niki Lauda and Michael Schumacher during the Scuderia's glory days, was asked about Shanghai winner, Kimi Antonelli whom the Italian team is said to have snubbed early in his karting career, subsequently allowing Mercedes to sign the youngster.

"His victory moved me," says Montezemolo, "he's a 19-year-old who's constantly improving. He'd had trouble starting, yet he didn't lose heart, he took the lead and led without hesitation, only taking risks at the end.

"He showed maturity and composure, uncharacteristic of an Italian, and especially not of someone his age," he continues. "He has his feet on the ground, and I hope he stays that way, all the potential is there.

"But it was a little annoying to see him in a Mercedes," he admits.

Antonelli, who grew up not far from the legendary Italian team, and raced for Tony Kart, which has strong ties with Ferrari, has admitted that there was no contact, his father having claimed that at one point the Maranello outfit said the driver was too young to make an assessment.

"The situation today is different than it was years ago," says Montezemolo, "they don't just look at karting results, but also at simulator numbers, drivers are trained there.

"It's easier to choose very young drivers," he adds, "the only one who impressed me at the time was Verstappen, at 12, he was the strongest of all, but he was 'taken care of', I spoke to Helmut Marko about it.

"But taking someone like Antonelli and immediately putting him in Ferrari would have meant destroying him," he insists. "We placed Massa at Sauber to gain experience."