Why Lamborghini and sports director Maurizio Leschiutta are parting ways after just one year, what the reasons are, and what the future holds for the Audi subsidiary
After just one year, Lamborghini and motorsport director Maurizio Leschiutta are going their separate ways. The Italian Audi subsidiary officially announced this in a press release on Friday. The Canadian with Italian roots will “step down from his role as motorsport director, which he has held since January 2025, at the end of the current year,” the sports car brand announced.
Lamborghini has also announced that December 19 will be Leschiutta’s last day at the sports car manufacturer before the Christmas holidays and that the separation is amicable. Until a successor is announced, Lamborghini’s Chief Technical Officer Rouven Mohr will take over the management of Lamborghini Squadra Corse on an interim basis, as he did a year and a half ago. But what are the reasons for the separation?
The press release does not provide any details on this, even though Leschiutta has only been working for the Italian company for a year.
Hypercar man lost his specialty at Lamborghini
The former Ferrari Formula 1 engine man headed BMW’s LMDh project from 2021 to 2024. When Lamborghini was looking for a potential successor in the spring of 2024 after the departure of long-time sports director Giorgio Sanna, the LMDh factory entry with the SC63 had just gotten underway – and they were looking for an expert in this field.
However, when Leschiutta began his work in Sant’Agata Bolognese in 2025, the end of the project was already looming due to differences between Lamborghini and the Iron Lynx team, which was providing the financing for the hypercar’s participation in the WEC and the US IMSA series.
The team’s participation in the World Endurance Championship and the 24 Hours of Le Mans was then completely halted for 2025. Instead, it competed with only one car in the five endurance races of the IMSA series before the project was completely discontinued a few months ago.
“Difficulties in settling into his role”
As a result, Lamborghini currently only has the GT3 division left alongside the Super Trofeo one-make cup, in which, according to reports, Chief Technical Officer Mohr and Head of Racing Development Stefan Gugger will continue to set the direction in 2025.
This year in particular, the GT3 department faced enormous challenges: Lamborghini is developing the new Temerario GT3 as the successor to the Huracan racing car, which has been in use for ten years. Due to production bottlenecks, the two vehicles will be used in parallel in some GT3 series in 2026.
Major challenge for Lamborghini in the GT sector
The new turbo vehicle was not ready in time for the 24 Hours of Daytona at the end of January, but will make its debut in March at the 12 Hours of Sebring. In the DTM, however, the Temerario racing car is to be used from the outset.
In addition to the first GT3 race appearances with the Temerario, the next challenge will follow in 2026: The Temerario will also replace the Huracan in the Super Trofeo one-make series, but not until 2027.
There is therefore a lot to do at Lamborghini. However, it is unclear what the future holds for Leschiutta and whether, at the age of 63, he will take on a new professional challenge.
