Lewis Hamilton would have delivered the 2018 Formula One title to Ferrari had he been driving for them, according to ex-Scuderia president Luca Di Montezemolo.
The Mercedes driver won his fifth world crown and fourth in the past five years with another dominant campaign, finishing 88 points clear of Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel.
Vettel's year was marred by a number of costly mistakes as he earned only five race victories to Hamilton's 11, and Di Montezemolo believes the latter would have made better use of the same car.
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"This year Hamilton made the difference in his best season since his debut," Di Montezemolo said.
"He has had moments of weakness and crisis, but this year with Ferrari he would have won.
"I say that not to belittle Vettel, who has every opportunity to rebuild with a competitive car."
He added: "This Ferrari is a very different Ferrari to the one I left in October 2014, in terms of men and mentality. Ferrari did a good car this year, which in some situations was even better than Mercedes. But the final part was missing.
"Vettel made some decisive mistakes, but for the world championship you have to do everything to keep him up. He is a driver of the highest order and always close to the team.
"In frustration he must be supported, even more so with the arrival of a very strong boy [Charles Leclerc] with a great future.
"[Michael] Schumacher also made mistakes in the first days, but it is always important to speak clearly in the locker room and support the team in public."
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