Matteo Ferrer-Aza

The FIA Masters Historic Formula One Champion of 2019, Matteo Ferrer-Aza made a surprise return to Masters in an ex-Wayne Taylor Racing Corvette Daytona Prototype halfway into 2024, and he is back for more Masters Endurance Legends in 2025. The Italian’s pair of seasons in the Ligier JS11/15 that took him to the final FIA title for historic Formula One cars continue to be close to his heart. We spoke to Matteo during the ADAC Hockenheim Historic in May 2025.

So what ignited the motorsport flame in you?

MF: I had absolutely no interest in motorsport whatsoever! Throughout my childhood, my father was always an avid F1 fan, but just as a spectator on the TV. I don’t even think he ever went to a race. He had some classic cars, but I wouldn’t call them sporty. They tended to be old English cars, pre-war cars especially. I liked cars as a child but never had posters on my wall, I was obsessed with dinosaurs and planes mostly. Then come the age of 14, 15, I liked to have a target in my life, as I didn’t have one. So I went to do management school, but my mother talked me out of it. She didn’t see me happy enough and suggested I become an engineer. She never suggested racing – obviously she wouldn’t have want me to. She didn’t want me to and still doesn’t want me to! Then we did a fun-day Grand Prix karting event as a Christmas present at Buckmore Park, because I was living in England at the time. I loved it so much that I was convinced that that’s what I wanted to do – to be a race driver. At this Grand Prix event, people were arriving who were avid karters, and I qualified mid-Group B out of four groups. They said, if that’s your first time, that’s quite impressive. So I went to my father and asked for his help. He said, no, out of the question, and gave me all the logical reasons to not do it.

That can’t be the end of the story…

MF: So for a good year and a bit I didn’t know what I wanted to do. One day we’re having lunch with my father, my godfather and my to be fitness trainer who was a family friend. My father blurts out, ‘Oh, listen to this, he wants to be a racing driver!’ And my godfather goes, without missing a beat, mouth full, middle of the meal, ‘I’ll call my cousin’. That cousin happened to be Alfonso d’Orleans, the owner of Racing Engineering, a Spanish GP2 team! Alfonso said, you could come to Monza for the Grand Prix, I will get you passes. I have a driver coach in the team, he can tell you better than me what to do and maybe take you under his wing. At the end of a long day at Monza we sat down in the GP2 hospitality and Peter Collins asked me about my experience. He maintains I blabbed my way into it but I clearly remember saying I had never raced! I guess I gave a good impression as a human being, so two long months of waiting later, Peter sent me an email suggesting a track day at the Circuit du Laquais in Champier, not too far from Lausanne where my father lived at the time. One of Peter’s ex-drivers, Ollie Oakes – yes, the erstwhile Alpine team principal – was with me all day in an Astra diesel car. It was a complete shitbox and I had no idea what to do, couldn’t even use a clutch, but by the end of the day it wasn’t half bad. Peter said, I think we can go somewhere. Next question, budget. But my father still said no, so again the dream was dead. But seeing how miserable I was, my father said, okay, we can do a season. That first season in Formula Intersteps with Fortec in 2012 came with good results, some fourth and fifth places, so big progress to show for in the former Formula BMW cars they raced in that series. On the back of that I was able to secure enough funding to do a second season, this time in the BARC Formula Renault 2.0 UK series. I did two seasons of that with Mark Godwin Racing. First year was decent, but too many mistakes, but the next year I was a championship contender from round one, with Pietro Fittipaldi as my teammate.

Then it was time to go into Europe?

MF: Well, I went to New Zealand first to do the Toyota Racing Series, where in 2014 I was teammates with Jann Mardenborough. I haven’t seen him since, so it was a good reuniting here at Hockenheim. Did that again in 2015 and that set me up for ALPS Formula Renault 2.0, which was the Italian series but racing all over Europe. I raced with Cram, and despite managing a podium it was a discouraging year. I was headed to Formula 3, but things were falling apart among my personal team, which took away a lot of pleasure I had in racing. In a winter race in Euroformula Open, I almost binned it at Signes at Ricard, which should have been flat in an F3 any day of the week. Couldn’t even take that flat, my head was so far out of it. So I said to the team, I’m going to destroy the car, kill myself, kill someone else. I got them a replacement, and that was it.

And still that can’t be the end of it!

MF: I went off to do some studying, but after about a year and a half, I couldn’t stay away. I ended up doing an Atlantic race with a ‘93 Reynard in New Zealand when a good friend of mine, Kenny Smith, convinced me to come to Hampton Downs and got me in the car on the weekend that was celebrating him as a New Zealand legend. I loved it so much…

So that was effectively your first historic race…

MF: Correct, I got the perfect baptism. It was one of the most fun races I’ve ever had. Later that year, I was able to get into an Alfa Giulia GTA and did more laps in that car in one day than I had done in years. Another guy was there with his 350GT Shelby Mustang and offered me to have a go in it. After five laps I came back in, gave him the car back and said, ‘If I kept going, I would not have given you the car back!’ And that clinched it for me for historics. So now my goal was going into Historic Formula One. Back in 2015-’16 I had already been to see Hall & Hall, and at the time they had the Matra-engined Ligier JS17. But I wanted the simpler JS11/15. Then I got to Rétromobile in 2018, where I was working. My father was there and said that he wanted to invest in something. I said, how about a Formula One car? We first thought of a Shadow, because John Gentry is a good friend of the family, but then I called Rob Hall. I remember it like yesterday. It was a Thursday afternoon in Italy, I got back from Rétromobile literally the Monday before. He said, it’s uncanny you called me today because just this morning a Ligier JS11/15 has come up. Five days later we go to see the car in Paris, and there and then we bought the car. The rest was history.

When was your first Masters race?

MF: That was in Most in the Czech Republic in 2018. We first did a test at Donington, on a completely horrible rainy day in April, but I had a smile from ear to ear. Then with Hall & Hall we ran at Most that year, and then Silverstone, Laguna Seca, Spa and Dijon – those we handpicked a bit. Nick Padmore was dominant that year but I still had a number of podiums and got my first win at Dijon. But the car still wasn’t set up properly, so in the off-season we went to work to get the setup right. Fairly simply things, but a lot of details make a big effect. Then we decided we were going to do the full championship in 2019 to win the title, which is what we ended up doing. The Ligier seasons are memorable because that was my only autonomous racing project – my vision. We had a good team together with Hall & Hall, and then to win the last official FIA title in Historic Formula One was an important part of my life. And through the car, I met my wife as well! If it hadn’t been for the Ligier, I wouldn’t have been at Laguna Seca where I met her…

Still in it to win it or is it just for fun now?

MF: I wouldn’t be racing if I wasn’t in it to win it. It’s historic racing but I do still try and be in modern racing, as I did a full season of modern racing two years ago. So I can’t sit in a racing car and not be in it to win it.

Your best day in motor racing?

MF: It’s funny when you ask drivers that, because I spoke to drivers in F1 or DTM or whatnot, and their favourite races are never a win, because a lot of times when you win, you’re up there and didn’t fight as hard as when you had to come through the field. So what springs to mind for me was Monaco in 2021. We started 18th on the grid, because we had an issue with the crank sensor in qualifying, and I finished third. A podium in Monaco from last has to definitely be highlighted. And there were a lot of Formula Renault races where I had a lot of fun. One very memorable one was against Alex Gill, we fought hammer and tongs, grass used, white lines blended over, but always fair with him.

And your worst day?

MF: That’s a fairly easy one. It’s got to be the New Zealand Grand Prix of 2015, the only FIA Grand Prix event outside of Macau or Formula One. I had the hopes and the dreams, we got the strategy bang on in qualifying to start at the front, just behind Lance Stroll and Arjun Maini, after a horrible season with a lot of hopes and preparation down the toilet. We were desperate to win. Off the line, I didn’t get a good start, dropped back to about fifth and eventually finished seventh. The car was groggy on the straight and just didn’t have the performance. I came into the garage and fell on the floor, feeling like I had let the whole team down. That was a hard race to lose.

The best car you’ve ever driven?

MF: The Ligier. I don’t hesitate on that, because once you’ve driven a Formula One car… I mean, what’s better than a Formula One car? It doesn’t matter what era it’s from. F1 is F1, and if you’re a hot- blooded racer, an F1 car is a racing car designed with a single purpose – to go as fast as possible for two hours and then break down, as Chapman said.

And the worst car?

MF: I’ve been quite fortunate, I’ve never driven a historic car I didn’t like. A Ferrari 488 Challenge is probably the least interesting racing car I’ve driven. It just had nothing going for it – a lot of power and the rest was uninspiring. Heavy, didn’t have good grip, the aero was minimal. It just felt sluggish through the corners.

And your favourite circuit?

MF: I think you have to divide that by continent for me! In Europe, I have a bit of a soft spot for the first place I ever raced – Oulton Park. It’s an honest track. Not a Grand Prix venue, but it has a nice flow. Elsewhere in Europe, I love Estoril and Dijon. Worldwide, Road Atlanta is a fantastic circuit that I really love, but I think overall I’ve got to go with Teretonga Park. People reading this will laugh, but it’s old school with very little safety. And it’s a short lap. As Jackie Stewart said, the fewer corners there are, the harder it is, because there are less corners where you can make time. I had pole position there one year and I was very proud of that. And mistakes are punishing. The years I went there I saw a driver break his back, so it has that danger aspect that really keeps you humble. That’s an important factor, because at the end of the day we’re racing drivers, not football players.

Why doesn’t Masters go to…?

MF: A race that’s historically important to Formula 1 and kind of ignored is Estoril. A fantastic circuit at a great location. I know they have an event there in a different series, but if it were Masters there… Also, I think it’s criminal not to have a race in Italy. If you’re in motorsport, there has to be a race in Italy. I think Mugello is fantastic, and Imola is also great. And I can tell you one that would be a bold move – the Salzburgring! I know, logistically there’d be no way, but having driven there, I think that’s a great track to go to.

Who is the rival that you fear or respect the most?

MF: In Masters, I would say Michael Lyons and Martin Stretton. I haven’t raced Mick as much, because that year he didn’t do that many rounds, but I raced a lot of wheel to wheel with Martin. I enjoyed racing against Martin a lot. He will push you very hard and keep you very honest.

And finally, your best mate in the paddock?

MF: My team mate, Alex Müller. But coming to Masters events always fills me with a lot of joy, because this is not professional racing in the sense of it being a modern series where everybody is 16 and crashing into each other at every corner. But that’s what I like about it. It is what it’s supposed to be. And the atmosphere is always great. You can’t get down the pitlane in a minute because you’ve always got someone to talk to!