Exclusive interview with Alessandro Alunni Bravi of Alfa Romeo F1 Team Stake

We sat down with Alessandro Alunni Bravi, managing director and team representative of Alfa Romeo F1 Team Stake, to talk about his impressive career path, Formula 1, Audi and driver management. Alessandro studied law and started his career as a motorsport journalist.

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You learned law at the university but quickly started to work in motorsports. Were you always interested in racing?

I have had a passion for motorsports since a very young age. I was born in a little village in Central Italy. It was the place where the Coloni F1 Team had their base. I was fortunate enough to be so close to a Formula 1 team. Furthermore, there was a racetrack nearby where they hosted international races like Formula 3000, which was very popular back in the 80s, so I’ve always been passionate. I also raced myself when I was around 18 years old. Eventually, I tried to combine motorsports with my profession, which is being a lawyer. I started to work with different teams and drivers, taking care of their interests in terms of contracts. In the early 2000s, I started working with Andrea Dovizioso, who needed an Italian lawyer to manage certain items in his contract. It’s been a long journey, and I made it step by step. I was working as a team principal in GP2, and I was also dealing with driver management. I worked with several people around motorsports, and it has made me who I’m today. Actually, I’m getting old! (Laughs)

You started your career as a motorsport journalist; why did you choose journalism?

It was a way to pay the university fee and start my career. Journaling has always been my passion, and I like literature. I began working for Autosprint, an Italian weekly magazine, and I was their Formula 1 journalist for three years. It was a pleasant experience, allowing me to get close to this business and get in touch with drivers and teams. I could introduce myself as a lawyer. It was a pivotal step to unlock further opportunities in my career.

You also had some jobs in rally – do you have passion for rally racing as well?

Yes, I had the chance to work as the Organiser and Promoter of the Cagliari Grand Prix and Rally Italia Sardinia. I’ve never seen a rally event before. I went there with little knowledge about it, and we transformed rally racing into an event. We created something unique with our partners. It was a pleasant experience for me to oversee an event like this.

You often had parallel jobs during your career; how would you describe your personality? Are you a hard-working person?

Yes, I am. Honestly, it’s always difficult to speak about yourself because I don’t want to look arrogant, but I’m a workaholic. I always start working early in the morning and only finish after 11 pm. I like my job, and it’s my passion. I always try to deliver the best possible result. At the moment, I’m entirely focused on the Formula 1 team; I stopped dealing with driver’s management, so the situation has changed, but not the working hours. The challenge is enormous, and expectations are also very high.

How can you cope with the pressure that you have every day?

Pressure is essential. We can’t live without tension. If you want to work in Formula 1, you need to cope with it and accept that you’re always under pressure and need to deliver more every day. You can only do well in this business if you have this kind of attitude and adrenaline. It’s a highly demanding sport, and you must perform over 100%. I’m fuelled by pressure.

If you had to pick one period of your career, which one would be the most exciting?

I always enjoy things that will happen in the future. Of course, there were some significant moments for me. The most enjoyable moments were always the first times. The first time I attended a grand prix as a journalist, the first time I worked in the rally championship or my first day at Sauber.

You worked for All Road Management and later founded your own management company. When did you decide to have your own company?

I had a lovely time with Nicholas Todt, and I’ve been learning a lot from him. After six years of working together, I decided to continue with my own management company. I was 42, getting old, and I took a risk to start this business. Stoffel Vandoorne was the first driver I began to work with, then I worked with Robert Kubica, and I took the challenge to bring him back to Formula 1. We succeeded thanks to his talent and dedication. I also worked with Christian Lungaard, who was a karting diver at that time. I supported him through the way to IndyCar. I decided to start my own company to improve my personal skills. And again, I’m very grateful for Nicholas; it was a pleasure working with him.

Could you elaborate on Trusted Management, your own management company? Did you lead the company alone?

Yes, I was always alone at the company. I’ve never had any employees or a team behind me. Obviously, I had to stop this activity last year to focus on my Managing Director and Team Representative role at Alfa Romeo.

You were appointed as a team representative of the team. Is the organizational structure comparable to other teams on the grid?

The structure is similar to any other team. Formula 1 is so complex that it has its own structure, and it’s not possible for one person to take care of some long-term projects. I believe that our structure is the way to go, and you can see this trend in other teams as well, most of them enlarged similarly.

I’m working with a talented group of people at the factory and on track. For instance, we’ve got Xevi Pujolar here at the race weekends, who is responsible for the technical side of things from the engineering point of view. I’d also highlight Beat Zehnder, who has been working for the team for more than 35 years and he is our sporting director. As for me, I represent the team to the FIA, to the commercial rights holder, and I’m taking care of partners and sponsors. Moreover, I manage the track operations and ensure we work together as a team.

We know that Sauber will become the Audi works F1 team in 2026; how is the preparation for that era?

As Formula 1 will introduce new regulations in 2026, there is much work ahead of us – just like any other team on the grid. We’ll become a works team with one of the biggest car manufacturers in the world. The preparation process for 2026 has already started, and it runs in parallel with our daily operations. Our CEO, Andreas Seidl, works with me and the leadership team. Everyone in the team must understand that we’re building our future now. We focus on something other than 2026; we’re entirely focused on this season and the races ahead of us. In terms of results, we expected to be in a better position. We’re working together towards one goal to reduce the gap and I’m convinced that we’ll improve throughout the season. We must address our weaknesses and improve car performance to become more competitive. This is the best way to prepare and get ready for 2026.

Considering the F1 boom, is it one of the best platforms for advertisers and investors?

There has never been a better moment than it is now. Formula 1 is growing rapidly and has become a real global entertainment show. The audience is vast, but we’re on the right trajectory. The sport has always been a pillar of technology, and it’s becoming more relevant to the automotive industry. With the introduction of 100% sustainable fuel as of 2026, the new regulations emphasize electrical power, so the sport is a natural experimental laboratory for the automotive industry. Formula 1 will become a sustainable event; carbon net-zero by 2030 is an important target, and we have initiatives to become sustainable in all areas of our business. All in all, we’re not only focusing on the technology but on the sustainability side of things as well.

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