Ex-Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo has aired his unhappiness at the team's decision to alter their livery for the 2019 season.

The new SF90 features a darker tone of red and also has a matte finish as part of their partnership with Mission Winnow and a belief the matte effect also offers performance benefits.

But, Di Montezemolo is unconvinced and considers the change an affront to the history of the Italian team.

"The Ferrari red, in my opinion, is sacred, it is a brand recognised across the world and therefore I do not really like it," he told Italy's TuttoSport.

"It is like changing the colour of a flag and I am not convinced by the story that in doing so we have saved some weight. "

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However, there is one condition that might enable the long-time figurehead of the company to change is mind.

"If all this should lead to a long-awaited success, then I would be willing to put aside the sorrow for the colour," Di Montezemolo said.

"It's a bit like in [Michael] Schumacher's time when the then president of the Cossiga Republic told me: 'But how is it possible that he does not say a word in Italian?'

"I replied that if to win five world championships in a row you had to have a driver who did not speak Italian, I would certainly not be sorry," he concluded.

Well, if the first test is anything to go by, then Ferrari might just be able to sooth their former president's concerns.