Piero Ferrari

Piero Ferrari
Born	(1945-05-22) May 22, 1945 Modena, Italy
Occupation(s)	Entrepreneur, sports figure
Years active	1969–present
Known for	Vice chairman of Ferrari, ownership in Ferrari and Ferretti Group

Piero Ferrari (originally Piero Lardi, born 22 May 1945 and later known as Piero Lardi Ferrari) is an Italian billionaire entrepreneur and sports figure. He is the second son—and the only living one—of Enzo Ferrari and holds a 10.48% ownership in the Ferrari car manufacturer, where he acts as vice chairman. Moreover, he possesses a 13.2% stake in the Ferretti Group. As of February 2025, his estimated net worth stood at US$10.2 billion.

Early life

Piero Ferrari was born to Enzo Ferrari (1898–1988) and his mistress Lina Lardi (1911–2006). He is the younger half-brother of Dino Ferrari (1932–1956), who passed away prematurely due to Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Although Piero was 11 when Dino died, the two never met.

After Dino's death, Enzo designated Piero as a major heir, granting him a 10% share in the Ferrari company. The relationship between Enzo and Lina began in the late 1930s and lasted until Enzo’s passing in 1988. Due to Italian divorce regulations at that time, Piero was not formally recognized as part of the Ferrari family until after Enzo’s estranged wife died in 1978. In 1990, he officially changed his surname to Ferrari.

Growing up in Modena, Piero’s interest in mechanics was sparked early by spending time at a local bicycle repair shop. He completed his secondary mechanical education at Modena’s Fermo Corni Technical Institute in 1964.

Career at Ferrari

Piero started working informally with the family business in 1969 by translating English for his father. By the early 1970s, he was formally employed as a technical supervisor, responsible for identifying defective or underperforming car parts. Early in his career, he connected the road car and racing divisions by transferring components from the 196 Dino model to the GT department, gaining valuable operational experience.

In 1974, he became co-organiser of the Formula One team, supporting sporting directors Luca Cordero di Montezemolo and Daniele Audetto. By the mid-1980s, he oversaw road car production and contributed to developing limited-edition models such as the Ferrari F40, Ferrari F50, and LaFerrari.

Following Enzo Ferrari’s death in 1988, Piero inherited his father’s 10% shareholding along with ownership of the Fiorano Circuit. The next year, then-president Vittorio Ghidella appointed him vice chairman.

At the 2013 Chinese Grand Prix, won by Fernando Alonso, Piero made history as the first member of the Ferrari family to appear on a Formula One podium by collecting the team’s trophy.

Business ventures

In 1998, Piero teamed up with José Di Mase to purchase Piaggio Aero Engineering with the goal of refocusing on business aircraft design and manufacturing. He served as president until resigning in 2015 after selling his remaining 1.95% stake to Mubadala Development Company. This partnership facilitated Mubadala becoming a title sponsor for Ferrari’s Formula One team the following year.

He also established and chairs HPE COXA, founded in 1998 to deliver premium mechanical engineering services. In 2009, HPE acquired COXA, a specialist firm in precision manufacturing for niche volumes and prototypes.

After Ferrari's IPO on 21 October 2015, Piero's 10% holding was valued at approximately US$1.1 billion. In April 2016, he purchased a 13.2% stake in the Ferretti Group, known for luxury yachts. By May 2019, Forbes listed him as number 838 among global billionaires with a net worth of $3.1 billion. That same year, he acquired "RACE," a 50-meter mega yacht constructed by Ferretti's Riva division that inaugurated their superyacht collection. Forbes ranked him number 680 globally with $3.4 billion net worth in April 2020. By December that year, he had increased his Ferrari share to 10.23%. In June 2021, Forbes placed him at number 705 worldwide with $4.7 billion in net assets.

Honours

In 2004, Ferrari was bestowed with the distinction of Cavaliere del Lavoro. That same year, the University of Naples conferred upon him an honorary degree in aerospace engineering. Later, in 2021, he was the recipient of the Mecenate dello Sport Award in Latina.

Personal life

Ferrari entered into marriage with Floriana Nalin in 1979; the couple divorced in 2020. They had one daughter, Antonella, and two grandsons. In 2021, he remarried Romina Gingasu, an aeronautical engineer, and they currently live together in Modena, occupying his father’s former residence.

He is a devoted supporter of the Centro Dino Ferrari, a research institute at the University of Milan dedicated to studying neurodegenerative and muscular disorders. This center bears the name of his half-brother Dino Ferrari and was originally established in 1978 through the collaboration of Enzo Ferrari and Professor Guglielmo Scarlato.

Film and television

• Pietro Ragusa portrayed him in Carlo Carlei’s 2003 film Ferrari, which draws from the biography of Enzo Ferrari.
• In Michael Mann’s 2023 film Ferrari, focusing on Enzo Ferrari’s personal challenges and the 1957 Mille Miglia race, Giuseppe Festinese took on his role.

Bibliography

• Pritchard, Anthony. Ferrari: Men from Maranello. Haynes Publishing, 2009.
• Rancati, Gino. Enzo Ferrari: The Man. Haynes Publishing, 1988.