Motor Valley Fest 2025: between sustainability and speed, Racing writes the future

If there is a place where the automotive is viewed, passion and strategy, that place is Modena. For the seventh time, the beating heart of the land of the engines welcomed the Motor Valley Festthe great open -air event that gathers the leaders of the automotive industry, academics, designers and innovators to face the challenges of the future: ecological transition, artificial intelligence, Software-Defined Vehicles And much more. An increasingly international and strategic appointment, which this year too has started with a Inaugural conference of excellence And which then explored, in dozens of panels and round tables, the great knots of contemporary mobility. Among all, a talk has particularly captured the attention of the public: Racing and technology: the evolution of speedwho told a motorsport in transformation, where the search for performance meets new values, new formats and new generations.

Speed ​​and innovation: the race of the future has begun

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Racing is not just show. It is a continuous innovation laboratory, where every thousandth of a second earned is the result of technologies pushed to the limit. But today, in the always suggestive frame of the Motor Valleythat extreme research lives with the biggest challenge: to be sustainable, accessible, relevant. He explained it very well Roberto Dalla, Chief Technical & Engineering Officer of Formula 1opening the debate with a video message that revealed the secrets of the largest remote production ecosystem of the planet: 143 operators, over 500 terabytes of data broadcast via fiber live worldwide. A technological circusof course, but with a soul. “Formula 1 – said Dalla – today means innovation and flexibility, but also sustainability and involvement. It is no longer only smell of petrol, but social event. If we want to attract the new generations, we must give him the opportunity to get our hands, not only the eyes”. To give concreteness to this vision, the intervention of Rodi BassoCEO of E1 SeriesWorld Championship of Electric Motonautics. “We are a startup that runs and we have built everything from scratch, combining technologies from sailing, car and boating. Young people? They are with us: pilots men and women alternate on board, the races last 10 minutes, the fans are 30,000 in two days. Sports snacking, concentrated emotion”. His goal is not alone Reduce the environmental impact But transforming racing into a laboratory open to replicable, commercial and global solutions.

What if the pilot were an algorithm?

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The future of speed does not only go from new energy sources, but also from new forms of control. He told it Paul Mitchellpresident of Indy Autonomous Challenge, the competition in which 300 km/h challenged each other … without pilot. Mitchell showed how the autonomous driving applied to racing is accelerating the development of AI systems, predictive software and advanced simulations which then find outlet on road cars. “Only 1% of people will ever run in a real championship – said Mitchell – but with simulation we can democratize the experience and create a new generation of developers, not only pilots”. THE’Indy autonomous challenge It is not only a test bench for technological excellence, but an educational and industrial platform, where the error is a fact to be analyzed and the victory is a better trained algorithm. In a world where safety, reactivity and energy optimization will be increasingly entrusted to the software, the racing without pilots It could become the perfect gym for the mobility of the future.

From the track to the road: the racing changes everything

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Whether it’s on the waves or asphalt, the message is clear: the competition remains central, but changes skin. The protagonists of the first round table confirmed this. Roberto Fedeli (Aston Martin) He told how the Formula 1 technology is transferred to the road thanks to a “bearing” team that works between F1 and production, as in the case of the carbon frame of the new Valhalla. Marco Zambenedetti (Ducati) He showed how Motoe has been a test bench to reduce weight and increase the efficiency of the series motorcycles. AND Maria Conti (Maserati) He proudly claimed the double track between Nettuno (Endothermic Racing Engine) and Folgore (electrical line), in a brand that in 2026 will celebrate 100 years of competitions. But technology is not enough. Cristiana Pace (Enovation Consulting) He recalled that sustainability also means governance, data, inclusion and reputation. Massimiliano Marsiaj (Sabelt) showed how the concept of “light security” brought Sabelt from space (NASA) to the civil Air Force, passing through Formula 1. And everything is held with a simple equation: the less weight is synonymous with less consumption and more efficiency.

Tatuus, Wise Equity and the industrial future of Motorsport

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If Racing rhymes with innovation, the economic engine cannot be missing. The final panel explored the behind the scenes of the “performance factory”. Giovanni DelfinoCEO of Tatuusexplained how to design a single -seater of 95,000 euros that lasts seven years, respects FIA standards and forms tomorrow’s champions both more complex than building a Formula 1. “Our cars – said Delfino – must be safe, light, cheap and performing. And getting punctual on the track, because in Motorsport the race is Sunday. Monday is already late”. To trust him, Fabrizio Medea (Wise Equity), who invested in the group believing in the strength of Italian SMEs of the Motorsport. “In Italy – said Medea – there are small companies, but with unique skills. We need investors who understand theAckermann cornernot only theEbitda“.

Racing is culture, it is industry, it is talent

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The round table “Racing and technology: the evolution of speed” He has shown an often underestimated truth: Motorsport is not a niche, it is an ecosystem. Where they are planned Seat for space And batteries for the trackwhere young people are educated in efficiency and technologies develop that we will also use tomorrow. And where, finally, There is talk not only of those who win But what this race will leave us. The most important: the one towards a more intelligent, more sustainable, more human future.