Paolo Barilla (born 20 April 1961) is a businessman and a former

Formula One Formula One (also known as Formula 1 or F1) is the highest class of international racing for open-wheel single-seater formula racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The World Drivers' Championship, ...

driver who raced for the

Minardi Minardi was an Italian automobile racing team and constructor founded in Faenza in 1979 by Giancarlo Minardi. It competed in the Formula One World Championship from 1985 until 2005 with little success, nevertheless acquiring a loyal followi ...

team. He is now the

Deputy Chairman The chairperson, also chairman, chairwoman or chair, is the presiding officer of an organized group such as a board, committee, or deliberative assembly. The person holding the office, who is typically elected or appointed by members of the grou ...

of the Barilla Group and, as of January 2017, had a net worth of US$1.39 billion.

Racing career

Barilla started racing in 1975 and won the Italian 100cc

karting Kart racing or karting is a road racing variant of motorsport with open-wheel, four-wheeled vehicles known as go-karts or shifter karts. They are usually raced on scaled-down circuits, although some professional kart races are also held on ...

title the following year. He entered Formula Fiat Abarth in 1980 and the next year moved up to

Formula 3 Formula Three, also called Formula 3, abbreviated as F3, is a third-tier class of open-wheel formula racing. The various championships held in Europe, Australia, South America and Asia form an important step for many prospective Formula One dri ...

, in which he won some races and finished third in the Italian Championship. He then entered

Formula 2 Formula Two (F2 or Formula 2) is a type of open-wheel formula racing category first codified in 1948. It was replaced in 1985 by Formula 3000, but revived by the FIA from 2009–2012 in the form of the FIA Formula Two Championship. The name re ...

in 1982 with Minardi, but between 1983 and 1988 he concentrated in

sports car racing Sports car racing is a form of motorsport road racing which utilises sports cars that have two seats and enclosed wheels. They may be purpose-built prototypes or grand tourers based on road-going models. Broadly speaking, sports car racing is ...

, winning

24 Hours of Le Mans The 24 Hours of Le Mans (french: link=no, 24 Heures du Mans) is an endurance-focused sports car race held annually near the town of Le Mans, France. It is the world's oldest active endurance racing event. Unlike fixed-distance races whose ...

by a three-lap margin in 1985, among other victories, in the

Joest Racing Joest Racing is a sports car racing team that was established in 1978 by former Porsche works racer Reinhold Joest. Their headquarters are in Wald-Michelbach, Germany. Early years As a combined driver/team owner, Reinhold Joest first began t ...

Porsche 956 The Porsche 956 was a Group C sports-prototype racing car designed by Norbert Singer and built by Porsche in 1982 for the FIA World Sportscar Championship. It was later upgraded to the 956B in 1984. In 1983, driven by Stefan Bellof, this ca ...

, co-driven at various times with

Klaus Ludwig Klaus Karl Ludwig (born 5 October 1949) is a German racing driver. Biography He also known as ''König Ludwig'' ("King Ludwig") for his success in touring cars and in sports car racing. In the 1970s, Ludwig drove for Ford in the Deutsche ...

, Paul Belmondo, Marc Duez and Louis Krages (also known at the time as John Winter). In 1987 Barilla returned to single-seaters and raced in the Japanese

Formula 3000 Formula 3000 (F3000) was a type of open wheel, single seater formula racing, occupying the tier immediately below Formula One and above Formula Three. It was so named because the cars were powered by 3.0 L engines. Formula 3000 championships ...

Championship, before returning to Minardi in 1989 for a test. This test gave him the chance to replace

Pierluigi Martini Pierluigi Martini (born 23 April 1961) is an Italian former racing driver. He won the 1999 24 hours of Le Mans and participated in 124 Formula One Grands Prix (with 119 starts) between 1984 and 1995. Early life Martini's uncle, Giancarlo Martin ...

at Suzuka that year and afterwards was signed to drive for the team in 1990. Barilla wasn't quick enough to qualify regularly and was replaced before the end of the year by

Gianni Morbidelli Gianni Morbidelli (born 13 January 1968) is an Italian racing driver. He participated in 70 Formula One Grands Prix, debuting on 11 March 1990. He achieved one podium, and scored a total of 8.5 championship points. He currently competes in the T ...

. In 2014, Barilla won the Monaco Historic Grand Prix in the Formula 3 class driving a Chevron B34. Barilla was featured in a 2017 documentary about the restoration of a

Ferrari 312B The Ferrari 312B is a Formula One racing car designed and built by Scuderia Ferrari. It was the successor to the Ferrari 312 and was used from 1970 until early 1975. The original 312B was developed into the 312B2 and 312B3. History The early 19 ...

historic Formula 1 race car.

Business career

In 1990 Barilla retired from racing and joined his family's businesses. Upon his return to the corporation, he briefly filled in as the

CEO A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a central executive officer (CEO), chief administrator officer (CAO) or just chief executive (CE), is one of a number of corporate executives charged with the management of an organization especially ...

from 1999 to 2000 before taking a more permanent position as a

. In 2010 he was appointed President of the Industrial Association AIDEPI (Associazione delle Industrie Dolciarie e Pastaie Italiane), established in the same year. From 2010 onwards, he held numerous membership positions until he was appointed, in 2014, Vice-president of the Barilla Center for Food & Nutrition Foundation, a multidisciplinary and independent thinking center that works on food sustainability. Barilla will then be elected in 2016 President of the International Pasta Organization (IPO), a non-profit association dedicated to increasing consumption and awareness of

pasta Pasta (, ; ) is a type of food typically made from an unleavened dough of wheat flour mixed with water or eggs, and formed into sheets or other shapes, then cooked by boiling or baking. Rice flour, or legumes such as beans or lentils, ...

, promoting consumer understanding of the nutritional value and health benefits of this food. From March 2017 to December 2018, he was the Chairman of the Italian Food Association (Unione Italiana Food), and since 1 January 2019, he has taken on the role of Deputy Vice-Chairman, a position in the sign of continuity with the commitments taken to protect the industry, both nationally and internationally. Since July 2020 he is a member of the

Confindustria The General Confederation of Italian Industry ( it, Confederazione generale dell'industria italiana), commonly known as Confindustria, is the Italian employers' federation and national chamber of commerce, founded in 1910. It groups together mor ...

Executive Council (Consiglio Direttivo).

Racing record

Complete European Formula Two Championship results

( key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap)

Complete International Formula 3000 results

( key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap.)

24 Hours of Le Mans results

Complete Formula One results

( key)

References

External links

Profile on F1 Rejects
{{DEFAULTSORT:Barilla, Paolo 1961 births Paolo Italian billionaires Businesspeople from Milan Italian racing drivers Italian Formula One drivers European Formula Two Championship drivers Japanese Formula 3000 Championship drivers Italian Formula Three Championship drivers Living people Minardi Formula One drivers 24 Hours of Le Mans drivers 24 Hours of Le Mans winning drivers International Formula 3000 drivers World Touring Car Championship drivers World Sportscar Championship drivers Barilla (company) 24 Hours of Spa drivers Rally raid truck drivers Long Distance Series drivers TOM'S drivers Team Joest drivers Japanese Sportscar Championship drivers Nakajima Racing drivers