DBMotorsport

  Abstract There are managers who build their authority through visibility, and those who construct it quietly, through a succession of decisions that only become legible in retrospect. Stefano Domenicali belongs to the second category. Born in Imola in 1965, he has occupied two of the most demanding roles in the history of the sport: Team Principal of Scuderia Ferrari and, since 2021, Chief Executive Officer of Formula One itself. This article examines both lives, not to catalogue their results, but to identify the managerial logic that connects them.   The Starting Point: Imola Domenicali grew up in Imola, a city where motorsport is not a passion cultivated at a distance but a daily habit. As a child, he spent his weekends at the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari, helping in the paddock and the media centre. After graduating in Business Administration from the University of Bologna in 1991, he joined Ferrari through the finance department. It was a deliberate starting poin...

  Abstract Andrea Kimi Antonelli’s victory at the 2026 Chinese Grand Prix is not simply the result of a perfect afternoon in Shanghai. It is the return on a bet placed in 2018, when a twelve-year-old boy signed his first contract with the Mercedes Academy. This article retraces that story, examines the clauses that shaped his path, and tries to answer a deceptively simple question: how much does it matter, in motorsport, to truly believe in someone? The Moment Shanghai, 15 th March 2026. As the chequered flag falls over the international circuit, Kimi Antonelli’s voice cracks over the radio: “I’m speechless. I’m almost crying. Thank you to the whole team, because you helped me make this dream real.” [1] Kimi is 19 years and 202 days old. The second youngest winner in Formula 1 history, behind only Max Verstappen. [2] The first Italian to win a Grand Prix since 2006, when Giancarlo Fisichella lifted the trophy at Sepang with Renault. [3]   The Talent Identified Kim...

  Abstract The escalating tensions surrounding Iran are no longer a background variable in the geopolitical calculus of international sport. For Formula One, whose calendar is structurally anchored to the Arabian Peninsula, the risk has moved from theoretical to operational. This article examines the legal framework governing Grand Prix cancellations, the underestimated logistical exposure already visible in the route to Australia, and why the institutional memory built during the COVID-19 crisis may prove to be the most valuable asset the Circus possesses, including a credible Italian contingency that, this time, would not need to be improvised. The Threat Is Not Hypothetical Anymore Four Grand Prixes (in Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Abu Dhabi) are located in a region where the recent Iranian crisis has created significant issues. The Strait of Hormuz, which is under near-total Iranian influence, is a core shipping lane and flight corridor. In operational terms, it is the ar...