Domenicali gets five-year contract extension as F1 CEO

Stefano Domenicali will continue as president and CEO of Formula One Management for a further five years, the commercial rights holder for the Formula 1 championship has announced.

The ex-Ferrari F1 team boss has helmed FOM since the start of 2021 and has overseen a period of strong growth in terms of fan interest in the series and improved financial health for its stakeholders – including the teams.

Domenicali is the second FOM CEO appointed since Liberty Media took over as owner of F1’s commercial rights in 2017, after his predecessor, Chase Carey.

Domenicali ran the Ferrari squad between 2008 and 2013, before joining Audi as vice president of new business initiatives in 2014 – two years before he became chairman and CEO of Lamborghini.

“I am honoured to continue to lead this incredible sport, which I love and has been part of my life since my childhood and grateful to the Liberty Media team for their trust,” Domenicali said in a FOM statement.

“Together, with all the relevant F1 stakeholders, we will continue to serve the best interest of our fans, as they are the heartbeat of everything we do.

“The passion, the energy and the adrenaline are the fuel that powers me every day to give my absolute best to Formula 1.”

The FOM statement said Domenicali would lead the championship through the 2029 season, which will be the third of new chassis and engine design regulations coming into force next year.

There had been speculation that Domenicali might leave F1 at the expiration of his previous deal and turn his hand in a similar manner to MotoGP, following Liberty’s acquisition of the motorcycle world championship last year.

But FOM sources always indicated this was wide of the mark and Domenicali’s position continued to appear strong even as previous Liberty chief Greg Maffei stepped down at the end of 2024.

Motorsport.com understands that the new president and CEO of Liberty – Derek Chang – is satisfied with the current arrangement and will allow Domenicali and his team the freedom to operate as they had before.

In the same FOM statement, Chang said: “On behalf of Liberty, we are thankful for his partnership and incredibly optimistic about the continued success the F1 team can drive for the sport, our fans, partners and shareholders.”

The 2025 F1 season gets underway with this weekend’s Australian GP – the first race in what is predicted by many observers to be a close and competitive campaign.