The Olympian who saved Brazil’s F1 race

Not only was the race saved at its traditional venue, albeit with the new name of the Sao Paulo GP, it has now had its future secured until at least 2030.

The man responsible is promoter Alan Adler, who was unknown in racing circles until 2020. He brought with him vast experience of running major sporting and entertainment events in Brazil, as well as – through unusual circumstances – solid investment from the government of Abu Dhabi.

In a previous life, Adler was a sportsman in his own right, representing his country in yachting in the two-man Flying Dutchman class at the 1984, 1988 and 1992 Olympic Games, while building up the competitive spirit that had made him a successful businessman.

“I did many years not at professional level, but amateur level,” he says. “I did three Olympic Games, a few World Championships. I became Star Class World Champion, I got a silver medal in the PanAmerican Games. I had a great career. Brazil is very strong in sailing, so this was a great background for me.

“And then I worked another 14 years in the automotive industry. My family owned forging plants. We were involved with engine components, suspension, supplying Volkswagen, Fiat, General Motors, Ford and Mercedes. I became the CEO of this company.

“So I have this background in mechanics, but I’m an economist. And then we decided to professionalise the management of the company.”

Adler’s career changed direction when an opportunity arose to get involved in a sport in a management capacity.

“I was approached by a friend, Torben Grael, an Olympic champion in sailing,” he says. “He used to race in in America’s Cup for Prada. He was always being approached by teams asking why doesn’t Brazil have an America’s Cup team.

“So he came to me, and I said ‘I’m in the forging business. This is something else, to manage a team.’ But I got involved somehow, and I liked the challenge.

“We thought that for the America’s Cup, the bar was too high to raise money for that in Brazil. We decided instead to do the Volvo Ocean Race, which used to be the Whitbread. The investment level was less. For America’s Cup, it was $100 million. And for the Volvo, it was $30 million.

“I had to talk to every…