The pasta magnate's brief time in F1

It was his dream since he got into a kart. Someday get to pilot a F1. Luckily for Paolo Barilla (4/20/1961, Milan, Italy), that adventure that began as a fun, was financed over the years by the ‘famiglia’. The family barillawith the grandson of the founder Pietro Barillawho personally knew Enzo Ferrariat the head of an empire around pasta and food, were typosi of the Scuderia and the world of motors was no stranger to them.

The push, the 24 Hours of Le Mans

Paolo won the national karting championship at the age of 15; five years later, he was once again champion in the karting category. Italian Formula 3 and made the jump to the European Formula 2 with the team Minardi. It seemed that his progression with the single-seaters was on the right track and the boy was pointing out options of finally getting a seat in the F1.

But as he rose levels in the world of motorsport, things became more complicated and the competition was fiercer. It was no longer enough to get into a car and drive. You had to know how to manage the races, start showing what they call ‘nerves of steel’ and Paolo saw that everything required a lot of effort. He got the opportunity to run the 24 Hours of Le Mans driving a Porsche 956B together with the Germans Klaus Ludwig and John Winter and on June 16, 1985 they won. After winning the prestigious race, for two years he participated in the Formula 3000 Internationalbut his best result was a fourth place on the circuit of Brands Hatchin England. That did not discourage him and he continued knocking on the doors of the F1.

With the Porsche 956 they won the 24 Hours of Le MansGetty Images

He opened the equipment Minardi who hired him in 1989 as a test pilot and right off the bat, they called him for the Japanese GP to replace Pierluigi Martini who broke a rib after falling down the steps of the team truck. Paolo He was already 28 years old and, although he lacked much experience, he achieved the 19th best time in the qualifying session. They put him behind the wheel of a Minardi M189 equipped with motor Ford Cosworth V8 but it lasted very little and it was not because of his mistake. A mechanical problem with the clutch took him out of the race.

In 1990 he acquired a starting seat to run in the F1 aboard a Minardi. But it is by far the worst car on the grid. Of the 15 GPs, he started 9 but only finished 4, outside the positions that give points. At 29 years old, he sees that the challenge is huge and thinks about giving up.

Paolo Barilla driving the Minardi M190 Cosworth V8 at the Estoril circuit (Portugal) on September 22, 1990Getty Images

Personal assets of 1000M

Pietro Barilla dies and that accelerates the decision. The three sons, Luca, Guido and he take charge of the company, giving it a boost that places it as a leader in its sector. With a presence in more than 100 countries, it becomes a global business conglomerate. For 30 years, barilla It spreads, buys other food companies, establishes itself in other markets far from Europe until the roar of the engines sounds again in Pedrignanoon the outskirts of Parma.

At the Monza circuit, Paolo Barilla managed to gather around a table (from right to left) Jonny Haworth, Giancarlo Fisichella, Jacky Ickx, Paolo himself, Stefano Domenicali, Sir Jackie Stewart, Jean Alesi, Vitantonio Liuzzi and a representative of the Monza circuit — At the Monza circuit, Paolo Barilla managed to gather Jonny Haworth, Giancarlo Fisichella, Jacky Ickx, Domenicali and Sir Jackie Stewart around a table, Getty Images for Barilla

Paolo wants to be part of F1 and finds a way: from 2025 it becomes an official partner of the Formula 1 in a multi-year agreement to supply the paddock with its pasta and products. Today, Paolo Barilla As vice president, he has a net worth of more than one billion dollars.

He did not score points and his passage was brief in the F1 but he has become the pilot who has passed through the Great Circus with the greatest capital in history.