Lamborghini “Carefully Selecting” New Motorsport Boss

Lamborghini is ‘taking time’ to identify and appoint “the adequate successor” to lead its motorsport department, with acting boss Rouven Mohr stating that it’s important to find “the right guy” even if he admits that his current combined role is an imperfect yet temporary solution.

Mohr has served as the head of motorsport for the Italian manufacturer since March, stepping into the role on an interim basis after his long time predecessor Giorgio Sanna departed the company.

Since then, the German has been juggling two portfolios simultaneously, as his temporary role was added to his existing duties as Lamborghini’s chief technical officer.

He has held that position since 2022, when he moved across from fellow Volkswagen Group brand Audi, where he had worked as Head of Verification/Validation Whole Vehicle.

That came after an initial two-year stint at Lamborghini where he oversaw the development of the Aventador, Huracan and Urus road car models.

Despite largely coming from a road car background at Audi, Mohr noted that he always had a connection to the Lamborghini’s motorsport activities as part of the research and development efforts.

However, he added that it’s important for Lamborghini to identify an appropriate replacement for Sanna, as his current combined role is very much intended to be ad interim.

“I don’t know if you are aware about this, but before the motorsport was always part of R&D,” Mohr told reporters gathered at Imola for the second round of the FIA World Endurance Championship.

“So, in Lamborghini, we have the R&D, where I was, this is my main responsibility, and motorsport was part of it. Giorgio was reporting to me, in his kind of management responsibility.

“Since now Giorgio left, for sure I took over ad interim on this, but I can tell you that it’s for sure only ad interim, because it doesn’t make sense to combine the roles in general.

“It’s based on the fact that, let me say, the leaving was not really planned, and we are at the beginning of the season, and for sure in the development activities, I was anyhow involved.

“So, I know for sure all the things about the LMDh car and the race cars itself.

“But I can tell you that the main activities on my desk now [are] the management with the customers and the organizational part. And this is time consuming.”

Mohr explained Lamborghini is “on top” of naming a new permanent motorsport boss, but stressed that it shouldn’t rush through the process to avoid an imperfect appointment.

“I can tell you also my main job was not a half-time job,” he said.

“So, also there I have some things to do. At the moment we’re managing the situation, but it’s something on top for sure.

“If you ask me if this is a permanent solution, for sure it is not. But we take time to select also the adequate successor,  because I want to have the right guy for the people, for the team, for the mindset, instead of, let me say, a short shot, and then it’s not the right person.

“We are selecting carefully the right person, and then I make the handover back again. This is part of the business.”