Ferrari president Luca Di Montezemolo has found a new ally in his war on the current state of Formula One.

Di Montezemolo has so far made no secret of the fact he does not like the new 1.6-litre V6 turbo-charged power-unit era.

The Italian has also bitterly bemoaned the ‘taxi driving’ style of the drivers he feels are forced to run economically to save fuel.

Many have suggested Di Montezemolo’s comments smack of sour grapes as Ferrari have failed to hit the ground running this year, resulting in Stefano Domenicali resigning as team principal this week.

But the Italian has someone fighting in his corner as Giovanni Malago, president of the Italian Olympic Committee, aired his views on the new-style F1.

Malago said: “I speak on behalf of Italian sports people and fans – I don’t like this Formula One.

“In my opinion, it’s delivered a product that has absolutely no sense. It’s a form of self-harm.

“I hope the people who run the sport look again at the rules because the way Formula One is now, it has much less appeal, and that’s a shame as it is an extraordinary world.”