People

Francesco Longanesi Cattani

Born in Bologna, Longanesi comes from a famous Italian naval family. His father was an admiral and one of the most decorated Italian submariners during World War II. Following the family tradition Longanesi attended the Italian Naval Academy at Livorno before going on to Bologna University to study law. After graduation he practiced maritime law briefly before setting himself up as a freelance fashion photographer in Rome. For seven years he worked for such famous magazines as Vogue and Vanity Fair.

From an early age Longanesi was a keen sportsman. As a teenager he played basketball to national level. He played polo and competed in show-jumping events, and also found the time to become a qualified ski instructor. His greatest passion, however, was sailing and he enjoyed a successful career as an international yachtsman. He was a member of the Italian national team from the age of 21 and during his career he won a dozen Italian national titles and finished runner-up in several World Championships. He competed in Whitbread Round the World races, the Admirals Cup and was a member of the Italian America's Cup team at Newport, Rhode Island in 1983. In 1975, during a transatlantic race, his yacht was attacked by killer whales and sunk. Longanesi and his crew spent a day in lifeboats and were fortunate to be rescued by a Greek freighter which had strayed from the international shipping lanes.

In 1983 Longanesi embarked on a new career as aide-de-camp to Prince Rainier of Monaco and it was through this that he met FOCA boss Bernie Ecclestone. In 1988 Ecclestone asked Longanesi to look after the Alfa Romeo 164 Celebrity Challenge series and the following year he was appointed FISA press delegate, a job which he held until 1991 when he was hired to be the Ferrari Formula 1 team manager. He then spent a short period as the circuit manager of Ferrari's Mugello test facility before rejoining the FISA when Max Mosley was elected president. When Mosley became FIA president, Longanesi took control of the FIA's external affairs department. That lasted until he left the job in the middle of 2002.