VI-Grade has announced the appointment of Dr. Leonardo Pascali as managing director, effective October 1, 2026. Pascali comes to VI-Grade after a distinguished international career in automotive engineering and motorsport, most recently serving as technical director for Audi Sport’s Dakar project, which achieved overall victory in the 2024 Dakar Rally.
Before Audi, Pascali held senior roles at McLaren Automotive, Porsche, and Centro Ricerche Fiat, gaining extensive experience in vehicle dynamics and chassis development. Notably, while at McLaren, he was awarded Vehicle Dynamicist of the Year in 2017.
In his new role at VI-Grade, Pascali will guide the company’s emphasis on full-vehicle development and validation, particularly focusing on software-defined vehicles and advanced electronic systems. He plans to integrate Software in the Loop (SiL), Hardware in the Loop (HiL), and Driver in the Loop (DiL) technologies to enhance the validation process of vehicle software and improve understanding of vehicle dynamics from a driver’s perspective.
Pascali expressed enthusiasm for the transformation in vehicle development and aims to leverage his experience working closely with test drivers to enrich VI-Grade’s human-centric approach. Alessio Lombardi, global sales director at VI-Grade, praised Pascali’s exceptional engineering expertise and international leadership, highlighting his potential to advance the company’s role in simulation within HBK’s Smart Testing strategy.
