Former Ferrari technical head Mauro Forghieri dead at 87

"Legends last forever...It’s been an honour making history together. Ferrari and the world of motorsport will never forget you," the team said on Twitter.

Forghieri, then only 27 years old, was asked by founder Enzo Ferrari to take over the technical side of the team in 1961 after joining as a trainee from university with a degree in mechanical engineering.

Britain's John Surtees (1964), Austrian Niki Lauda (1975, 1977) and South African Jody Scheckter (1979) all won championships under his watch.

Ferrari also won seven constructors' world championships and 54 grands prix during that period.

Forghieri had fallings out, moved aside by Ferrari in the late 1960s and early 1970s, but never for long.

His Ferrari 312T car, in various guises, won four constructors' and three drivers' championships with Lauda and Scheckter.

Lauda, who died in 2019 and was famously direct, recalled in an autobiography how the combination of Forghieri and team manager Luca di Montezemolo helped forge a winning outfit after he arrived at Maranello in 1974.

"Forghieri was obviously a tremendous engineer and Luca was very good at telling the Old Man (Ferrari) about what was happening," he wrote.

Ferrari chief executive Benedetto Vigna paid tribute to Forghieri on an analysts call.

"He had such an important impact on Ferrari's history and the motor racing, we will always remember his passion and determination that drove the evolution of our company over the years," he said.