Ferrari will celebrate its 1,000th Formula 1 race with a ‘retro’ livery at this weekend’s Tuscan Grand Prix.
The livery takes inspiration from the Ferrari 125 with a deep burgundy paint job, classic large white drivers numbers and ‘1000’ adorning the engine cover.
Explaining the move, Vice Chairman Piero Ferrari said: “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.”
Ferrari is nonetheless braced for a difficult weekend in the wake of its recent struggles, having slipped to sixth in the standings.
“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,” commented Sebastian Vettel.
“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.”
The race will take place at Mugello, a Ferrari-owned circuit, with a very limited number of fans in attendance.
Charles Leclerc added: “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.”
“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.
please keep that colour !
The color alone is good for a 1/10th hp gain!