F1 not Lamborghini’s priority - Domenicali

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Former Ferrari team principal Stefano Domenicali says Lamborghini will not be entering F1 soon because it “is not the priority” for the Italian manufacturer.

After leaving Ferrari in 2014, Domenicali joined Audi later the same year and was appointed CEO of Lamborghini in March 2016. His experience at Maranello led the Domenicali-affiliated companies to be linked with an F1 entry but the 51-year-old says it is unlikely Lamborghini will be taking such a route.

“I have been asked dozens of times the question: ‘When will we see Lamborghini in F1?’ And I say that is not the priority today because we have other challenges that are a priority level before this," Domenicali told Autosprint. "And today we have a system that is working really well in racing because, beyond that the product is undoubtedly centred, we have an external business that is certainly extraordinary.

“Credit is due … to all the people working in the motorsport division who have chosen the sports program well. However you can not think of a brand like Lamborghini with no motorsport. This is a given. Let's talk about cars that you have to give your driving passion. For the emotion that gives you, motorsport is key.

“In this respect I say that we must feel the responsibility to uphold the passion of motorsport. The racing world, in some countries more than others, is living in difficult situations. With our machines, at fair prices compared to the market, we must give a chance to those who want to race to do so.”

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Andrew Lewin

Andrew first became a fan of Formula 1 during the time when Michael Schumacher and Damon Hill were stepping into the limelight after the era of Alain Prost, Nigel Mansell and Aryton Senna. He's been addicted ever since, and has been writing about the sport now for nearly a quarter of a century for a number of online news sites. He's also written professionally about GP2 (now Formula 2), GP3, IndyCar, World Rally Championship, MotoGP and NASCAR. In his other professional life, Andrew is a freelance writer, social media consultant, web developer/programmer, and digital specialist in the fields of accessibility, usability, IA, online communities and public sector procurement. He worked for many years in magazine production at Bauer Media, and for over a decade he was part of the digital media team at the UK government's communications department. Born and raised in Essex, Andrew currently lives and works in south-west London.