Fremantle recently announced it has acquired the global distribution rights to “Luca: Seeing Red,” a feature documentary that explores the extraordinary life and legacy of Ferrari legend Luca Cordero di Montezemolo. Directed, written, and produced by Manish Pandey (“Senna”) and co-directed by Christopher M. Armstrong, the film traces Montezemolo’s remarkable journey—from his early days working alongside Enzo Ferrari to leading the iconic brand through its golden eras with Niki Lauda and Michael Schumacher.
Blending rare archival footage with candid interviews featuring Chris Harris (Top Gear), “Luca: Seeing Red” goes beyond racing to reveal Montezemolo’s far-reaching influence, from organizing the 1990 FIFA World Cup to launching Italy’s high-speed rail network. In this conversation with Señal News, Luca di Montezemolo and Manish Pandey discuss the making of the film and the vision behind a story that fuses sport, business, and a life lived at full speed.
What made this the right moment to move forward with the project?
MP: As an independent filmmaker, timing and opportunity go hand in hand. I had just finished working on the “Bernie Ecclestone” series, and Luca was always one of my three heroes. What he accomplished with Ferrari is extraordinary—he took a team people were laughing at and turned it into a champion, twice. And beyond Formula 1, he helped transform Ferrari into a modern, thriving business.
Why do you consider Luca a hero?
MP: Because of what he did with Ferrari and the way he did it. Whether you’re a fan or not, you can’t deny the impact. He made the team competitive again and built a culture of excellence. Under his leadership, Ferrari was always either winning or fighting until the very last race. That level of consistency and drive is rare.
Luca, what made you decide to tell your story now?
LM: For me, there are two reasons this film is interesting. First, it’s not just a movie about Ferrari—Ferrari is only about 60% of the story. The rest is about my life: organizing the World Cup in Italy, running Cinzano in Argentina, the Azzurra boat in the America’s Cup, and building Italy’s first private high-speed train company. What makes this special is that it’s not fiction. You see Enzo Ferrari himself, Niki Lauda’s crash, and my friendship with Niki. You see Michael Schumacher and Ayrton Senna at my home. It’s all real, and that makes it emotional and human.
How did you approach the challenge of selecting moments from such an extensive life and career?
MP: The main goal was to create a coherent narrative. You can’t show every race or every success, so we had to focus on the story as a whole rather than individual details. It’s about the man, not just the achievements. Luca’s story is incredibly rich—he studied law, raced in rallies, led Ferrari, and even took on the challenge of fixing Fiat when it was struggling. He’s like the ultimate problem-solver. That’s what we wanted people to see: the complete picture of his life and leadership.
Luca, what was it like to relive those years while working on the film?
LM: I was really surprised by how many different things I had done. Watching the film felt like reliving my youth. The photography is beautiful, and the mix of archival footage with new interviews works perfectly. You can see Enzo Ferrari speaking, Niki Lauda’s crash, and even the atmosphere of the Italy–Argentina World Cup semifinal in Naples, where half the stadium was cheering for Argentina and Maradona. It brought everything back.
You’ve had such a diverse career—racing, business, organizing major events. Was it difficult to see all of that condensed into one film?
LM: Yes, because when you watch your life on screen, you realize how full it’s been. I started as a young assistant to Enzo Ferrari, became a team manager, organized the World Cup, and later led Ferrari and Fiat. Then I built the high-speed rail network from scratch. Seeing all that together for the first time made me proud.
What was the process of balancing emotion and structure in the storytelling?
MP: You need to step into the details to understand them—but then you have to step back and see the whole. The film had to flow naturally, so sometimes we had to let go of great moments that didn’t fit the narrative. The goal was always to make audiences feel they’ve truly met Luca, not just learned about him.
Luca, what went through your mind the first time you saw the finished film?
LM: It was emotional. I thought of everything I’d done—Cinzano, the World Cup, Ferrari, Fiat, the train. For the first time, I saw it all together. I also remembered my last day at Ferrari. The team organized a surprise farewell; more than 2,500 people came, and many were crying. Usually, when someone leaves, people are happy to see a new boss. That day, I thought: maybe I did something good.
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