With the departure of Éric Boullier from Lotus F1 in the early stages of the 2014 season, the reshuffle within the team saw Gastaldi promoted to deputy team principal, reporting directly to Gérard Lopez. After just one season helping out at the forefront of the team, Gastaldi opted to take a step back when Renault bought out the Enstone outfit. Federico preferred to work on business development instead of the day to day organisation.

Biography

Federico Gastaldi has been associated with motorsport for a long time, working in a variety of different areas. He was a friend of the Benetton outfit, which helped him get an introduction into Formula One and with the team that would eventually become Lotus. However, he has also worked as a promoter for the Argentine Grand Prix, as well as helping Bernie Ecclestone and FOM with several projects.

Gastaldi became the business development director with Lotus in 2009, working to help find new sponsors and promote partnerships for the team. In early 2014, he became deputy team principal, supporting Gérard Lopez in their efforts to keep the team moving forward in the wake of Éric Boullier's departure.

After one year as the lead representative for the team at the track, Gastaldi opted to return to the business development role when Renault took over. He said: "I was offered the role of team principal but refused because I'm not an engineer and would not be able to work with the team that way. I'll take care of business development instead."