How awkward was di Montezemolo's Ferrari exit press conference?

THE IDEA that the camera never lies was abandoned even before fashion magazines discovered the airbrush, but the archive of images from last week’s Ferrari press conference, in which Luca di Montezemolo announced he was to stand down as president of the company, paint a clear picture that can be summed up in one word: awkward.

Take a look at the photos below to see what we mean. They show di Montezemolo (in the suit) alongside Sergio Marchionne, the CEO of Fiat (Ferrari’s majority shareholder). Marchionne admitted di Montezemolo was leaving as the pair had “misunderstandings” over the future direction of the company; namely, Marchionne’s desire to increase the number of vehicles produced at Maranello from 7,000 to 10,000 per year, an idea to which di Montezemolo was strongly opposed.

Photos copyright: Venturelli/Getty Images