Montreal, QC – For the last 18 years, Gino Rosato has risen through the ranks at Ferrari. The second Québécois, after Gilles Villeneuve, to serve the prancing horse, this Italian-Canadian from Laval announced at a press conference today that this year’s Formula 1 Grand Prix, on November 1 at the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi, will be his last.

Mr. Rosato chose Montreal, a city he loves, to announce that he has left Ferrari to join the new administration of LOTUS as Vice-President of Corporate Affairs.

Gino with two friends and advisors Patrice Brisebois and Garou.

"I wanted to share this news first with the Montreal media, because the press here has always been extremely supportive. I literally grew up with Ferrari. It was my university. I started at the bottom of the ladder as a jack-of-all-trade and gradually managed to win the confidence of my superiors like Jean Todt and Dany Bahar. Dany was Senior Vice-President at Ferrari and I had the unique opportunity of working with him for the last three years. We are all aware of Dany’s talent and his outstanding achievements at Red Bull where he developed a winning NASCAR and F1 strategy. He is now CEO at LOTUS and he made me an offer I couldn’t refuse!

“I will be Vice-President of Corporate Affairs for the LOTUS Group. This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for me. With all the changes happening in the automotive industry, an offer like this is exceptional.

“At Ferrari, we had 8 F1 builder championships and 6 driver championships in addition to the extraordinary development of the Ferrari brand that I saw with my own eyes. Now I can bring that experience to LOTUS. I am proud about contributing to the revival of a brand as prestigious as LOTUS. Colin Chapman, the founder of Lotus, is like an English version of Enzo Ferrari. I sincerely believe that this brand has tremendous potential and I can announce the imminent return of LOTUS to the INDY, the GT and the Le Mans Series.

Formula 1 is not currently in the works for the short-term, since a different group holds the license. But possibly in the next few years."