Few sports have embraced the pursuit of new audiences quite like F1, the motorsport league acquired by Liberty Media nearly a decade ago. Leading that effort today isStefano Domenicali, the CEO who first fell in love with racing as a child at the track in his hometown of Imola, Italy. First, he turned F1 into Formula 1: Drive to Survive, a reality show on Netflix. Next, he welcomed Apple as a broadcast partner, which included working together on F1, a movie starring Brad Pitt.

A major focus for Domenicali has been winning over American fans. Ahead of races in Austin in October and Las Vegas in November, Domenicali joined THE CEO MOMENT, our interview series featuring the world’s most influential business leaders. We discussed how the sport navigates geopolitical turmoil, when it will finally stage a race in Africa, and what retirement might look like when his contract is up in 2029. 

Have you decided whether the Abu Dhabi race and the Qatar races scheduled for later this fall are going to take place as planned?

I said that the calendar is confirmed today, confirmed to add the races in Qatar and Abu Dhabi. In case something will happen…we have a Plan B to put in place. But the decision today is to keep going.

You’ve regularly teased the potential for a race in Africa. Where would it be?

That's something I can tell you straight away. Pragmatically, the only country that's presented to us a serious plan is Rwanda. 

You’ll be there by the end of this decade?

Much, much earlier than that.

You've had a number of crazy ideas: the Netflix show, the F1 movie with Brad Pitt. What's next?

I cannot say that, but I will tell you one thing: We move in the kids' world with relationships with Disney, with Lego….This is another way to try to diversify our audience, to capture them. 

What's your relationship with Max Verstappen like? 

I have known Max since he was a kid, and Max is an incredible champion. He's not shy to say what he thinks.

Why is the American market important for F1? 

The American market has a special meaning because the potential of growth in this country is huge…When the Americans are engaged with the sport, you start this engagement from the moment you wake up to the moment you go to bed. So it is really something that you breathe every moment and that is really our goal. 

Do you think you need an American driver to fully win this market?

It would be great to have an American driver, but [they] has to be fast. The passport is not enough,

Will there be a female F1 driver in your lifetime?

In my lifetime, I hope so. But realistically speaking, it would be wrong to give a deadline. It's definitely something that will happen. There's not anymore, as it was in the past, any physical barrier to prevent a woman from driving a car. 

How do you think about staging races in places where some people may feel they do not share their values?

The community is so vast that it will be difficult to make sure that everyone is happy. But as I said, we are focusing on connecting people… That's the most important thing that we want to achieve through our sport.

You're contracted at F1 through 2029. Are you ready to retire in three years?

I'm definitely focused on what I'm doing today. I'm very lucky…I feel the responsibility of taking this sport in the direction that we have today. But in 2029, for sure, one thing that I want to consider is the quality of my personal time, because as you can imagine, when you are full in, in this job, you are full in. That means that you travel every day. There is not a lot of time for you with your family, with your friends. So if I would have a dream today, it would be, try to find a better balance for that.