Ferrari Celebrates 1000th GP With Special Livery
Let’s just hope that the Prancing Horse can deliver a good result in the Tuscan GP.
Ferrari will be competing in its 1000th Formula 1 Grand Prix this weekend during the Tuscan Grand Prix held in Mugello starting tomorrow. So to commemorate this momentous occasion, the Italian F1 team has planned several initiatives. The most notable of which will be the special commemorative liveries that are to be seen on both cars throughout the weekend.
The special livery to feature on the SF1000 will be primarily Burgundy with a large yellow ‘1000’ plastered on the shark fin signifying Ferrari’s 1000th race in F1. This particular shade of red is meant to hark back to the very first Ferrari formula 1 car, the 125 F1 that ran the Monaco Grand Prix all the way back in 1950.
In addition to the special livery, both Scuderia Ferrari drivers Sebastian Vettel and Charles Leclerc will don special race suits for the Tuscan GP to further commemorate this iconic day in both Ferrari and racing history. Being in the second round to the Italian triple header this year, a small number of tifosi has also been allowed to watch the race live at Mugello.
According to Ferrari, 2,880 fans will be in the grandstands from Friday onwards, all socially distanced of course. Celebrations will also continue in nearby Florence with a special event to be held the night before the race in the heart of the city.
The 100th GP celebration for Ferrari culminates in Mick Schumacher, son of legendary F1 driver Micheal Schumacher, piloting his father’s Ferrari F2004 F1 car around the circuit before the race start. This drive in Micheal’s last championship winning car with Ferrari is meant to be a fitting tribute to ‘Scuderia’s most successful car and its incomparable driver.’
Amazingly, Ferrari has been present in every year of the Formula 1 championship and has taken part in all but 25 F1 races in the history of the motorsport. During this time, the team has racked up 16 constructor’s championships and 15 driver’s championships, not to mention 237 race wins and 767 podium places.
That being said, for the sake of the celebrations planned, let’s just hope that both Ferraris have a good race this weekend and not have a repeat experience of last week’s race at Monza.
PRESS RELEASE: Our most eagerly awaited moment of the year has arrived as Scuderia Ferrari prepares to tackle the 1000th Grand Prix in its history. Not only that, but this milestone takes place at the Mugello Circuit, the facility owned by the Maranello marque, which gets to host a round of the blue riband category of motor racing for the very first time.
Historic.
The Maranello marque has planned several initiatives, starting with a celebratory livery. Over the weekend, the SF1000s will feature a Burgundy colour, which is a faithful reproduction of the shade of red of the very first Prancing Horse Formula 1 car, the 125 F1, which took to the track in the Monaco Grand Prix on 21 May 1950. For the past 71 years Ferrari has been ever present in every year of the championship. Charles Leclerc and Sebastian Vettel will also have special race suits for this unique race and in this time of Covid-19, a limited number of fans – 2880 – will be allowed into the grandstands from Friday onwards, all socially distanced, a sign of confidence and renewal. The celebrations will spread to nearby Florence with an event in the heart of the city on Saturday evening. Then on Sunday, before the race start, Mick Schumacher, a Ferrari Driver Academy (FDA) student will take to the track at the wheel of an F2004 that his father Michael drove in his last championship winning year: a fitting tribute to the Scuderia’s most successful car and its incomparable driver.
Reference point.
Opened in 1974 as a natural evolution of the Circuito Stradale established in 1914, the track is laid out in the hills of the municipality of Scarperia and San Piero a Sieve. The Mugello circuit has long been one of the favourite circuits for drivers in all motor sport disciplines and has been owned by Ferrari since 1988. It is one of the few tracks to receive an FIA 3 Star level certification. In fact, the facility has exceeded the environmental tests established by the FIA, thus recognised for its excellent policies and sustainability.
Iconic corners.
At 5.245 kilometres in length, Mugello is one of the most spectacular tracks in the world. The braking point for the first corner, San Donato, is one of the most demanding on the track, coming at the end of a long flat-out straight. On the exit, drivers have to be ready for the esses made up of the Luco and Poggio Secco corners. A short straight leads to a second esses, made up of Materassi and Borgo San Lorenzo, followed by a tricky sequence of two corners in the opposite direction, Casanova and Savelli. These are followed by the two most spectacular turns on the track: Arrabbiata 1 and 2. The second is particularly tricky because it goes over the top of a hill and it’s not easy to work out the best line to take. The next set of esses is made up of the Scarperia and Palagio corners. A short straight brings you to the long bend known as Correntaio after which there is the fourth quick set of esses made up of the Biondetti 1 and Biondetti 2 bends. The lap is nearly over apart from the Bucine corner, a 180 degree turn that brings you back to the start-finish straight.
Piero Ferrari Vice Chairman
“Scuderia Ferrari’s 1000th Grand Prix is a very important milestone, therefore it had to be marked in a special way. That’s why we decided to run a unique livery on the cars for this event, with the SF1000s taking to the track at the Mugello Circuit in the Burgundy colour first seen on the 125 S, the first racing car to carry the Ferrari name. Even the look of the race numbers on Charles’ and Sebastian’s cars will reflect the tradition of the past, giving the impression of being hand painted onto the bodywork, while the drivers’ race suits will also match the car colour.
It’s a tribute to our origins: to our starting point for the amazing Ferrari story, characterised by an endless desire to compete, alongside the will to build road cars that are exceptional in terms of technology and design. Ferrari is unique in the world, because the company has the soul of a car manufacturer and of a racing team, an inseparable link that is never questioned.
Only a few months ago, no one could have imagined that our thousandth race could take place at our own Mugello circuit. I am pleased that in the Grand Prix official name, Formula 1 chose to pay tribute to Ferrari, the only team that has always been present in the sport’s seventy one year history.”
Sebastian Vettel #5
“It’s a great honour to be driving a Ferrari in what is the 1000th Grand Prix for this, the longest serving of all Formula 1 teams. It will be even more of a pleasure to celebrate this anniversary at the Mugello Circuit and also because, for the first time this season, a few spectators will be allowed into the grandstands.
It is a very nice and super technical track with changes of gradient and very demanding corners. The track should better suit our car, so let’s hope we can deliver something to please the tifosi, both at home and at the circuit.”
Charles Leclerc #16
“I can’t wait to be on track at Mugello with Ferrari. The circuit is really beautiful and on top of that, we are celebrating our team’s 1000th GP in Formula 1. I’m also pleased to learn there will be a few thousand fans in the grandstands.
The track has a very long straight, but it’s not super fast like the past two we raced on and so it should be a bit better suited to our car. It will be important to make the most of the track time available, as we have no data from which to start. We hope to put on a show for the people at home and those in the stands and also get back to picking up some good championship points.”
