“I will always be one of you. Forza Ferrari!.” – Massimo Rivola bids farewell to Ferrari, as the head of the Ferrari Driver Academy is leaving the Italian Formula 1 team to join the Aprilia MotoGP squad.
A close friend of Fernando Alonso and Sebastian Vettel who he got to know during his seasons at Toro Rosso, Rivola was born in Faenza, Italy in 1971 and entered the world of racing in 1998, firstly with Formula 1’s Minardi team, in the Marketing Office, before becoming Sporting Director and Team Manager in 2005. He then moved to the Scuderia Toro Rosso, where he was Team Manager from 2006 to 2008, before heading to Scuderia Ferrari, where he has served as Sporting Director since 2009.
Massimo Rivola, 46, has run the Ferrari Driver Academy since 2016, succeeding Luca Baldisserri in the role, and in that time he has overseen Charles Leclerc’s progression to a race seat with the Maranello team. Prior to that, he was Ferrari’s sporting director, which followed a spell as team manager at Toro Rosso. Under Rivola’s guidance in the FDA, both Antonio Giovinazzi, who will drive for SauBer Alfa Romeo next season, and Antonio Fuco, a Gran Turismo driver and current Formula E tester for the Geox Dragon team, have also developed their careers.
Rivola’s arrival at Aprilia is the latest in a series of major changes at the Noale marque as it seeks to rebound from a disappointing fourth return season in MotoGP.
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