The SportsRush profiles Stefano Domenicali, the former Ferrari man who will replace Chase Carey as CEO of Formula 1.
The ever-smiling Italian Stefano Domenicali was bound to be a crucial element of motorsports. The son of a prominent banker, Domenicali was born in Imola, the iconic racing town. And expectedly, he was there at the Imola Circuit on weekends, helping out in the paddock and media centre.
Domenicali went on to study business administration from the University of Bologna, something which helped him in good stead. Right after graduation, he made the dream move to Ferrari, working in a variety of roles. He started in the finance department, and also worked as a race director at Mugello, the Ferrari-owned circuit.
In 1995, he was promoted to the role of handling Human Resources and Sponsorship for Ferrari’s sporting department. The following year, he was announced as the Team Manager from the 1997 season, a role he performed for four seasons.
Wait. Stefano Domenicali becoming the new CEO of F1. Ross Brawn as F1 MD, Jean Todt as FIA President… pic.twitter.com/6XjYU2UWeK
— Ben Hunt (@benjhunt) September 22, 2020
The versatile Domenicali was then made the Logistics Manager, before becoming the Ferrari Sporting Director in 2002. Then came the big announcement at the tail-end of 2007, that Domenicali would take over the reigns of the Ferrari F1 team as Director and Team Principal. He took over that role from Jean Todt, who incidentally, is the current FIA Boss. After Domenicali takes over as F1 CEO, it will mark his reunion with Todt, both Ferrari management greats.
Ferrari went on to win the 2008 Constructors Championship in Domenicali’s debut season, but that success was the last Ferrari has seen in F1. Ferrari’s struggles with KERS and Felipe Massi’s accident at pit lane contributed in a turbulent stint for him, and he ultimately resigned in April, 2014.
Stefano Domenicali after Ferrari
After working in the Ferrari F1 team, part of the larger Fiat Group, Domenicali made the switch to rivals Volkswagen. He worked in the Audi division, and is currently the CEO & President of sports car manufacturer Lamborghini.
Domenicali has also served as the president of the FIA’s single-seater commission. During his time, he worked on the structure of junior motorsport divisions like F2 and F3. He also occasionally appears on Channel 4’s UK TV coverage.
