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Former Ferrari team principal and current Lamborghini CEO Stefano Domenicali will replace Chase Carey as Formula 1 CEO before the start of next season.
Carey took over from Bernie Ecclestone in the dual role of CEO and chairman following Liberty Media’s completed takeover of F1 in early 2017.
He undertook that responsibility with the support of another ex-Ferrari man Ross Brawn as managing director of motorsport, and Sean Bratches leading the commercial side of the business.
Carey had been expected to vacate the role following the 2020 season for some time and The Race understands Domenicali is poised to agree a deal to replace him next year, with Carey remaining involved in F1 in some capacity.
Domenicali started his Ferrari career in 1991 and resigned in 2014 after refusing to follow president Luca de Montezemolo’s command to sack the head of the engine department in response to a miserable start to the V6 turbo-hybrid era.
He had been promoted to team principal in 2007, replacing Jean Todt.
Domenicali’s role at the head of F1 will put him back in partnership with Brawn, who was Ferrari’s technical director during Domenicali’s sporting director stint.
The ex-Ferrari duo will also work alongside Todt in the Frenchman’s final year of his term as FIA president, before Todt steps down.
Since leaving F1, Domenicali has worked at the FIA, Audi and Lamborghini.
He became president of the FIA Single Seater Commission, a role he still holds, and joined Audi as vice president of new business initiatives.
Domenicali then became CEO of Audi subsidiary Lamborghini in March 2016. Under his tenure, the manufacturer has posted record annual car sales.
Should his F1 deal be agreed as expected, Domenicali will assume the CEO position ahead of a major shift in the championship’s make-up.
Carey’s final flourish as F1 chief has been to get all 10 teams signed up to new Concorde Agreement terms that create a fairer distribution of F1’s prize money.
Next season a budget cap will be implemented, before new technical rules in 2022.
