Business F1 Top 20 Petrolheads: Gérard López, The Ravenous Collector

Gérard López is Spanish but was lucky enough to be born in Luxembourg, obtaining dual nationality, which could have given him certain advantages, such as building his own collection of classic cars. The collection is located in Luxembourg, not far from the offices of his company, Genii Capital. He owns classic collector's icons such as the 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing, a 1961 Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Spider and a 1937 Bugatti Type 57SC Atlantic.

His classic cars include a Porsche Carrera GT, a Ferrari 365 GT 2+2, a Ferrari 330 GT and a Ferrari BB512i, a Jensen Interceptor FF, a Lister Jaguar XJS, a Maserati Ghibli as well as the latest Lotus Esprit Sport 300 in black and gold, the typical livery introduced by Colin Chapman in the glory years of Formula 1. The entire list would be lengthy but it is known that he is very fond of a Lamborghini Countach which he often uses.

Gérard López with his 1984 Lamborghini Countach QV

After studying in America at Miami University in Ohio, he quickly proved to be an exceptionally intelligent man and a skilled negotiator. He used these talents to become a little 'Mr-Fix-it' of other people's business problems. In the process, he became a venture capitalist with an eye for business, as he put it: 'Some people are too afraid to take risks. I am afraid not to take the business that is offered to me. Why turn down opportunities?'

López speaks softly, very simply, a kind of low-energy approach to life that is quite unusual. For this reason he is getting noticed. His soft American accent paves the way for him and he exudes a disarmingly quiet confidence that is hard to dislike.

In reality, no one knows whether his character is constructed or real. He also has the advantage of being able to speak seven different languages.

López first came to prominence when he co-founded Mangrove Capital Partners. Mangrove has been behind some very profitable deals such as the acquisition of Skype, which was sold to eBay in 2005 and later to Microsoft for $8.5 billion in 2011. No one knows how much López personally earned from that deal, but it is thought to be around $150-200 million. The deal established him as a man of substance who no longer had to pretend.

Gérard López owns what is considered by some to be one of the best car collections in the world

At 32, he was already prepared for the sparkling future that awaited him. He had also created a stellar reputation for himself and had become friends with the 'great and the good' of Europe. He quietly liked to whisper to friends about the memorable day he had breakfast with Bernie Ecclestone in London in the morning and dined the same evening with President Putin in his dacha. Both men liked him very much. Journalist Jason Barlow said of him: 'He can spot a clever idea like a hawk can spot its prey in a field four miles away'.

After splitting from Mangrove, he founded a new company called Genii Capital in 2008, identifying sport as an important business opportunity. Not everything worked out, however, because it was too early. But not for him: He suddenly made headlines when Genii Capital bought the Formula One team Renault in 2009. He and his partner Eric Lux did a great deal and acquired the majority of the team with virtually no capital expenditure. They took advantage of Renault's need to get out of the sport after a 2008 cheating scandal at the Singapore GP had erupted in 2009, risking damage to the reputation of the company which, in fact, had no responsibility. It had, de facto, been the victim. Genii bought 75 per cent of the team, but in exchange for the name and management, it obtained the supply of the engines on very good terms.

Gérard López could "spot a smart idea the way a hawk can spot its prey in a field four miles away."

The name change took place in 2011 to Lotus and the acquisition of a famous driver like Kimi Räikkönen. One of the highlights of his time in Formula One was when he offered President Vladimir Putin a test drive in a Lotus F1 car at a Russian military airfield. López told friends: 'He was very good'.

In 2015, when management of the Lotus team was suffering, Renault decided to come back. López went out and sold the majority of the shares back to Renault, remaining with a minority stake, which Renault then bought back.

After Formula One, López moved on to football clubs. In 2016, he bought the football club Lille OSC and quickly turned it around. In 2021, he bought FC Girondins de Bordeaux and the Portuguese club Boavista FC. In 2022 he founded The Lydian Group, a technology company that invests in digital companies.

He loves doing business as it gives him a reason to live. But what he really loves is spending time with his cars and dreaming, perhaps one day, of returning to Formula One.

A look at the garage of Gérard Lopez, co-founder of Genii Capital, which has owned among other companies, Lotus F1 Team.