“Ask a child to draw a car and he will undoubtedly make it red”. These iconic statement (coming from none other than Enzo Ferrari) will be forever etched in the tifosi ’shearts. If there is one thing that has defined Scuderia Ferrari’s oustanding achievements in motorsports is their peculiar red paint, Rosso Corsa. However, there was a time when Enzo himself had a Blue Ferrari F1 out on track, eventually bringing John Surtees to the Drivers’ Championship and the team to the Constructors’ Championship in 1964.
John Surtees at the US Grand Prix
The Ferrari 158
The 1964 season saw Ferrari bringing V8 engines back and introducing a monocoque chassis for the first time. The Ferrari 158 driven by Lorenzo Bandini and John Surtees collected a total of 7 podiums, 2 pole positions and 2 wins, an inpressive result for a total of 10 races. The original chassis design, which was used until the US Grand Prix at Watkins Glen, was painted in the traditional Rosso Corsa and was equipped with beautiful turquoise rims. At the time, F1 teams raced in national colours: Italian colours are sky blue for traditional sports and bright red for motorsports. Right before the last two rounds of the season, however, FIA and the Italian Automobile Club (ACI) made a decision which would cause Enzo to completely lose the red for the rest of the Championship.
The original 158 chassis, with its turquoise rims.
Enzo’s anger
The story begins in 1962. Enzo wanted to homologate his 250 GTO to compete in GT racing. However, the ACI and FIA regulations at the time required a minimum of 100 road models of a car to be produced before obtaining homologation for racing. Ferrari wasn’t able to produce this many models, but managed to trick the FIA and the ACI into believing that requirements were met. Fast forward 1964, and Ferrari wanted to homologate a new racecar, the 250 LM: however, this time the FIA wasn’t easily fooled, and the Scuderia saw their request denied.
ACI failed to back Enzo Ferrari in his discussion with FIA (having been fooled themselves), and Enzo was so angered that he decided to sever all ties between Ferrari and Italy. He gave up on his competitor’s licence, and both the American and the Mexican rounds of the Championship were raced in particular conditions. On the grid, Ferrari was represented by the satellite constructor NART (it might sound absurd to today’s audiences, but it was perfectly regular back in the day) and raced in a white and blue outfit. John Surtees finished second in both races and, after both Championship wins, Enzo’s threat never to race in Italian colours again was very short-lived.
Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa are two of the best-known Ferrari drivers of all time. Although failing to win a WDC for the Scuderia in some of the toughest years for the Prancing Horse, they are regarded as two of the brightest stars in Maranello history. Both have now left the F1 paddock, challenging themselves in Formula E (Massa) and WEC among many other championships (Alonso). However, fate would have it that they both released two separate interviews on the challenges of driving for the guys in red at the same time. Let’s see what they had to say.
“It’s never easy when you’re under pressure”
In an exclusive interview for the Italian newspaper Il Corriere della Sera, Fernando Alonso was asked to comment on Sebastian Vettel’s performance this year and his difficulties in beating Hamilton’s Mercedes. In the past few months, many commentators argued that Alonso would have won at least another WDC for Ferrari had he had as competitive a car as Vettel. Fernando, however, knows all too well what Sebastian’s been through.
It’s way too easy to talk about this stuff from an outside perspective. Who is at the top of their game always fights for the win and always has everything to lose. And we all make mistakes. Maybe Sebastian has lost some valuable points this season, but so did Hamilton, and he still did better than Kimi Raikkonen. He fought until the very end, and he’s a true champion. When he won four WDC everybody praised him as a superstar and know they do the same with Hamilton. Truth is, it’s never easy when you’re under pressure as much as he is now.
“Ferrari’s obligation to win is a problem”
At the same time, Felipe Massa had another exclusive interview, this time for Autosport.com. In the piece, he highlighted the historical relevance of the Prancing Horse in motorsport and the burden that comes with it.
“A lot of things happen in a difficult way inside Ferrari in terms of pressure. They feel this a lot. The inside of the team was always like this. There was a time that they felt less because they had more results, in the time of Jean Todt. […] After this, things happened in a very different way. Ferrari now is always feeling the pressure and the obligation to win, and this is a problem.”
The future of Scuderia Ferrari
Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa shared a quite controversial and at times tense relationship in the team. Felipe never settled as a #2 driver, and the never ending chase to Red Bull Racing in their years for Ferrari took a toll on everybody. However, they tend to agree when describing team dynamics and when speaking their minds on Ferrari’s future. Namely, they were both very positive when commenting Charles Leclerc and Mattia Binotto’s new roles in Maranello. They knew Binotto in his technical roles during their time as teammates, and they both believe he has the composure and the authority to run the team efficiently without falling victim to the pressure. They’ve also praised Maranello’s choice in nurturing Leclerc and giving him an early chance in the main team. That comes as no surprise, though, since they both aren’t very fond of Kimi Raikkonen…
Having said all that, Fernando and Felipe will always have a special place in the tifosi’s hearts, and we’re all very eager to see their certain success in the new endeavours they’re taking upon.
19-year old Mick Schumacher, set to follow in his legendary father’s footsteps as he signs with Ferrari to join their Driver Academy Programme.
Words: Yashraj Singh
The 2018 European F3 Champion, Mick Schumacher has been confirmed to join the Ferrari Driver Academy in 2019 as he progresses to F2 in 2019.
This announcement didn’t come as a surprise to many, as Prema Theodore Racing, the team Mick won the F3 title with, has been known to have close relations with Ferrari as well as the elephant in the room which comes in the form of his father, Michael Schumacher’s monumental 5 World F1 title career with the Scuderia.
This news will bring great joy for many racing fans who yearned for a Schumacher to be racing again, as Mick gets one step closer to the greatest racing platform in the world, F1.
The promising rookie started his racing career in 2008 under the name “Mick Betsch”, his mother’s maiden name, to avoid the attention that would come from his father’s name, but inevitably started using the Schumacher name and has since raced in multiple Karting championships, ADAC Formula 4, Italian Formula 4 Championship and most recently FIA Formula 3.
As he moves to F2 with Prema Racing, we could be seeing him on the F1 grid very soon, by 2021 even! The youngster has a massive legacy to live up to, a legacy of the most successful racing driver of all time, one that many in his position have struggled with, could he be the one to change the precedent? (No pressure though).
Maurizio Arrivebene, Scuderia Ferrari Formula 1 ex-team principal said “Concerning Mick Schumacher I think the most important thing is to let him grow, without giving pressure, the recent results are very, very good, and I wish to him a great career. With a name like this, that wrote historical pages of Ferrari history, the door of Maranello is always open, of course.”
Although he is no longer team principal, the sentiment is surely echoed in the team.
Mercedes-AMG F1 Boss Toto Wolf said this following Mick’s F3 Title win, “He’s won the Formula 3 championship this year with Mercedes engines, which is great, but he’s not part of the Mercedes-Benz junior programme.”
“The most important [thing] is to give him time. He has this incredible legacy of having a father who was the most successful racing driver of all-time.”
“He’s won F3, ticked the box, now he’s going into F2, which should be very difficult again against many experienced drivers.
“I have no doubt he has the potential to be a successful driver in Formula 1. Maybe one day with us, maybe not.”
In 2019 Mick is expected to have a couple of test days in the Ferrari suit and practice on the Ferrari simulator parallel to his F2 career.
All that we know is that his up and coming career is a reason for a lot of excitement in the world of motorsports and we wish him all the very best for the future!
Despite it being rumoured for a few months across Italian motorsport media, today’s speculation seems realer than ever before, being reported by all major news outlets. Maurizio Arrivabene is set to step down from his Team Principal role in Scuderia Ferrari, being replaced by Mattia Binotto, previously Chief Technical Officer.
Who is Mattia Binotto?
Binotto was born Lausanne, Switzerland and graduated in Mechanical Engineering and Motor Vehicle Engineering. He first joined the Scuderia Ferrari in 1995 as Test Engine Engineer. Throughout the years he fulfilled roles such as Race Engine Engineer, Head of Engine, KERS Operations and Chief Technical Officer. Such an impressive CV shows his high level of skill, long-standing involvement with the Prancing Horse and incredible achievements, considering he’s only 49 years old.
What happens now?
What follows is only speculation and is meant to be taken as my personal opinion on the matter. Many were the reports on the tense relationship between Arrivabene, Binotto and the Scuderia. Arrivabene came to Ferrari four years ago directly from Philip Morris sponsorship management, and not everybody was confident that he possesed the amount and type of skill required for his role in the team. His job in public relations was definitely great, and he did bring the Prancing Horse back to competitive levels, but the loss of 2018’s Championship has made him accountable for strategy and technical mistakes which, as many believe, could have been easily preventable. Of course it would be absolutely unfair to trace all Ferrari’s mishaps of 2018 back to Arrivabene, but as Team Principal he’s held resposible of what happens on and off track.
Furthermore, Mattia Binotto is considered the main mind behind the SF70H and SF71H, undoubtedly the most successful F1 cars put together in Maranello in the past few years. This has meant that his reputation with investors, engineers, drivers and executive board is extremely good. The Swiss could also count on the support of Sergio Marchionne himself, who had put his money on him as successor of Arrivabene in the future. Binotto had also received interesting offers from both Mercedes and Renault, presumably consequently asking for a better position within the team if he was to stay in Maranello.
However, being a great Chief Technical Officer does not necessarily make you a great Team Principal: will Binotto have the charisma and character to put forward those political stances that are so important within the F1 world? Will his departure from a technical role mean a setback in car development and competitiveness? Will Sebastian Vettel regain the mental stability needed to bring home the WDC, now that the new Team Principal notoriously has a soft spot for the young rival Charles Leclerc? All of these interesting and potentially dangerous questions will find an answer in the 2019 season, starting in a bit more than two months.
Today, on the eve of the 50th birthday of one of greatest drivers in the history of Formula 1, many of us, including myself, sit here remembering the greatness of my childhood hero Michael Schumacher and his innumerable achievements.
He started his F1 career with the Jordan-Ford team in 1991, then Benetton from 1991 to 1995 with whom he won his first two World Championships in 1994 and 1995. After this he took on the monumental task of building back up the Scuderia, with Ross Brawn and Jean Todt when they joined Ferrari in 1996. The first few years saw little improvement, until the incredible build-up of Michael’s first Championship with Ferrari in 2000. That day in Suzuka still brings tears to my eyes as it was Ferrari’s first World Title in 21 years, since Jody Scheckter in 1979. It felt like everything finally came together to create that special moment; the team’s hard work, Michael’s talent and their combined burning desire to win.
The Golden Era
This however was only the start of the most successful team and driver in history as they went on to dominate and win for the next 5 consecutive years, a period I like to call the Golden Era. From 2000 till 2004, Michael was unbeatable, a time where I was just growing up as a five year old, every weekend I would watch with my eyes glued to the TV screen along with my dad in suburban England as the bright red flash of his F2004 ruled the track, winning 12 of the first 13 races that year.
Schumacher was a lot more than just a racing driver. Ross Brawn said that no matter what team he worked with, not a single one had a negative thing to say about Schumacher, described as kind, private, focused, blisteringly fast and extremely professional. Throughout his career, Schumacher raced against arguably some of the best drivers the sport has ever seen: Aryton Senna, Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton. One of his greatest rivals was Mika Häkkinen, but although they had intense battles on track, they were very close friends.
Schumacher retired in 2006 and came back three years later under Mercedes and Ross Brawn. Sadly, he was unable to achieve anything significant due to the package being slower. Then in 2013, Schumacher suffered a very unfortunate skiing accident where he sustained severe brain injuries.
Nonetheless, we all hold a lot of love for him, have his family in our hearts and pray for his recovery. In his 19 year career, Schumacher scored an unbeaten record breaking 7 World Championships, 91 race wins and 155 podiums. He is undeniably the best driver in the history of Formula 1 and my personal hero.
Last weekend, the Autodromo Nazionale di Monza has hosted the Finali Mondiali (World Finals) of the Ferrari Challenge, an international monobrand competition consisting of North American, European and Asia-Pacific legs. ROSSO attended the event and is bringing you on a journey in Italian excellence.
The atmosphere
The Finali Mondiali are the single biggest Prancing Horse kermesse in the world, and a true full-immersion experience when held in Italy. Hosted by the Mugello circuit last year, the Challenge always sees an Italian stop for the European leg in Imola, a truly historic track. Monza, however, is in a league of its own. The Temple of Speed has always been the greatest representation of motorsport excellence, both in Formula 1 and in smaller categories. Tifosi from all over Italy and the rest of the world come in swarms in the small Italian town, celebrating the Italian excellence and racing pillar that Ferrari is. Fans have the chance of admiring classic, era-defining racing and road cars in the exhibition paddock and join the mechanics in the pits, enjoying an unprecedented insight on the Maranello spirit. Here you can find a selection of some of the great opportunities offered to the Ferrari fans in Monza.
Fierce competition
The Ferrari Challenge sees dozens of Ferrari 488 Challenge supercars fighting each other by the inch on track. The Finali were entered by no less than 37 of these V8 3.9 beauties, in their race-adapted setup: a different rear wing, 126-litre fuel tank and, of course, specific safety devices.
Exclusive video content and more – for your entertainment
ROSSO has covered the whole weekend life, with a firsthand, almost interactive approach. If you want to live the full experience through your own eyes, as if you were there, then check out my takeovers on my Instagram blog and over at ROSSO.
Today marks the 39th birthday of one of the most influential, talented and loved Formula 1 drivers of all time: Kimi Räikkönen. For the occasion, ROSSO relives the 2007 season, the last winning season for Ferrari, the first with Kimi holding the steering wheel.
The Iceman’s numbers
The Finn is universally considered as one of the best F1 drivers in the history of the sport, and statistics definitely confirm a successfull career. 290 Gran Prix entered (and counting, considering he will stay in the circus for the next two season), 20 race wins, 18 pole positions, 46 fastest laps, 100 podiums, for a grand total of 1761 points to his name. Despite nearing the end of his career, in a season where a good 3/4 of his competitors are at least 10 years younger than him, Kimi also set the record for the fastest lap in the history of F1, in Monza this year (a lap I was lucky enough to see in person). His professionalism, his undeniable talent and his dry-witted character make him a fan favourite, with a poll stating that Kimi is the second most-loved driver (after Michael Schumacher) among Ferrari’s tifosi.
The 2007 season
After five years in McLaren, in which Raikkonen got close to the World Title twice (2003, 2005), he was signed to Ferrari for a three-year term partnering Felipe Massa. The Fin immediately proved his worth in the historical team, snatching a grand chelem (pole position, fastest lap and race win) at the Australian Grand Prix, being the second Ferrari driver ever (after Nigel Mansell) to win in his first race. After two third places in the following races (Malaysia, Bahrain) and a string of bad luck for him and for Ferrari (Monaco, Canada and, partially, USA), Raikkonen was trailing Championship leader Lewis Hamilton by 26 points with ten races to go. In France, after a great move on Hamilton himself and later on teammate Massa, he gained his second race win of the season and the first Ferrari 1-2 on the podium for 2007, followed by another win at Silverstone. After a retirement in the European Grand Prix and a string of podium finishes (but no wins), Kimi took his fourth win at his most beloved track, Spa-Francorchamps. After another Raikkonen win in China, the circus arrived at Interlagos for the last race weekend with a three-way title fight between the Finn, Hamilton and Alonso, something that had not happened since 1986. An action-packed race saw the Iceman take his sixth win of the season and the title, only one point ahead of both Alonso and Hamilton, respectively ending the race in P3 and P7.
Despite having an up-and-down history with Ferrari, which will officially end when the 2018 season wraps up, Kimi Raikkonen is and will always be a fundamental part in the Prancing Horse history. Not only that: Kimi Raikkonen is and will always be one of the most influential personalities to ever join the F1 circus and the reason why so many people from my generation fell in love with this sport. When the day will come that Kimi no longer races, it will be a hard blow for many, many supporters.
After days, even months of speculation, the official announcement came today: Charles Leclerc will replace Kimi Raikkonen in Scuderia Ferrari starting from the 2019 season
The up-and-coming Ferrari Driver Academy protégé, winner of the 2017 F2 Championship and author of a surprising F1 rookie season for Sauber, was said to be destined for Raikkonen’s seat since his debut in Formula 1, it being only a matter of time. Despite Raikkonen’s brilliant season, collecting more podiums that teammate Sebastian Vettel, setting the fastest lap in F1 history and the record for oldest pole-sitter in Monza, the 38-year-old Finn will be let go after Abu Dhabi.
Kimi’s future in Sauber
However, this is not the last we will hear of the Finn: Raikkonen is set to join Alfa Romeo Sauber for the 2019 and 2020 seasons. Finnish media and Mika Salo had already speculated on such an outcome, hinting that Kimi would be precious in fostering the development of the car, eventually stepping down and joining the team as a shareholder. The 2007 World Champion is therefore closing his career in the team where he first started.
The business talks
The decision might have been heavily influenced by Leclerc’s contractual obligations derived from his Ferrari Driver Academy membership: the Monegasque is tied to the Prancing Horse until 2019, the Scuderia deciding his future. If a valuable seat hadn’t been offered by that date, Leclerc would have been free to try his luck elsewhere, and Maranello clearly didn’t want to lose such a shining talent. Unofficial reports state that after trying to secure a place for him in Haas, but being met with the American team’s reluctancy, Ferrari’s only chance of keeping Charles was anticipating his transition in the main team to 2019. Furthermore, rumour has it that Sergio Marchionne had already signed a pre-deal with Leclerc for the 2019 season, and that the new board was wary of disattending one of Marchionne’s final decisions.
We wish both Kimi and Charles good luck in their future endeavours.
In 2004, the Ferrari F399 used for the 1999 F1 World Championship snatched in two pieces mid-lap during the Monterey Historics race. To this date, nobody really knows what went down. Let’s see if we can find out together!
The dynamics of the incident
While performing a decent lap on the Laguna Seca circuit, the entrepreneur and Ferrari collector Frits Kroymans (then 65 years old) engaged Turn 6 at low speed. Witnesses present at the scene claim that Kroymans got on the throttle too early while exiting the corner, spun and hit the tyre wall at approximately 80 mph. Accounts report of an oil leak in Turn 6, which apparently cause Kroymans to spin. However, nobody really understood why and at which point did the front of his car break in such a neat way. His legs ended up being completely exposed on track, and only some serious luck got him out of the track completely uninjured and already walking.
Trivia and speculation
Many people, including experts at the scene, did not understand the reason behind this kind of damage: in theory, the chassis of an F1 car is built and designed in such a way that the whole body is made out of one piece, with no evident welding. The majority of experts now agree in believing that Kroymans did not in fact race with an actual F1 car, but with a demo model, which is not necessarily built exactly like a racing car.
A bit of research on Frits Kroymans’s figure also led us to discover that the entrepreneur, whose company Kroymans Corporation declared bankruptcy in 2009, was not actually the direct owner of his many Ferrari models. The property was, in fact, more like a very intricate leasing operation carried out by an holding affiliated with Kroymans Corporation. We still have to appreciate the sportsmanship of this man, though: after his awful accident, he decided to carry on with the next race just a few hours later in his Ferrari 250 GTO. That’s what we call dedication!
There are some days in racing history that are bound to be remembered. The day when Alberto Ascari won Ferrari their first F1 championship is one of them. The legendary Italian driver in the Ferrari 500 F2 set the still unbeaten record of 6 victories out of 8 races in the 1952 calendar, mathematically winning the title with two races left.
Ascari’s incredible career consists of a number of records: apart from being a two-time World Champion (the last Italian driver to do so), he holds the record for the number of consecutive fastest laps (7, between the 1952 and 1953 seasons). Universally recognised as a well-rounded driver, his driving style was amazingly precise and his understanding of the car is legendary. He was prone to impose a very high, raw pace at the very beginning of the races and excel in holding it until the chequered flag. His tragic death in the Curva del Vialone, now famously turned into a chicane and renamed Variante Ascari, has been mourned as one of the most saddening events in racing and has been remembered for the eerie similarities with that of his father, also a racing driver.
Let’s try to sum up a very exciting championship and honour Alberto’s memory, which will forever be preserved by Ferrari and F1 fans in general.
18th of May 1952: Swiss Grand Prix
Track: Bremgarten Pole position: Giuseppe Farina (Ferrari) Winner: Piero Taruffi (Ferrari)
The 1952 season opens with more than one notable change since the previous editions: Alfa Romeo has officially retired from the competition, Fangio is not going to take part in the title fight because of his terrible injury in Monza, F2 rules are being used to make the competition more interesting, Ascari skips Race 1 to prepare for the 500 Miles. Nonetheless, Ferrari goes in for a double success, with Nino Farina’s pole and domination for the first 16 laps followed by Piero Taruffi’s first and only F1 win.
30th of May 1952: Indianapolis 500
Track: Indianapolis Pole position: Fred Agabashian (Kuzma-Offenhauser) Winner: Troy Ruttman (Kuzma-Offenhauser)
As usual since its enrollment in the F1 calendar, the race is disputed over the distance of 200 laps, for a total of 804,600 km. The 1952 Indianapolis race is remembered for the victory of Troy Ruttman, who holds the record for being the youngest winner of the race, aged 22. Another peculiarity is the presence of an Italian driver on board an Italian car: contrary to the practice according to which Formula 1 teams deserted the Indy race, given the difficulty in making cars suitable for racing there and sending them overseas, Alberto Ascari takes part with a specially designed Ferrari. The effort gains considerable attention, but Ascari spins out (wheel hub failure) and finishes 31st. It is the only World Championship race in 1952 that Ascari enters and does not win.
22nd of June 1952: Belgian Grand Prix
Track: Spa-Francorchamps Pole position: Alberto Ascari (Ferrari) Winner: Alberto Ascari (Ferrari)
Maserati is not yet ready with their new and highly anticipated car and its leader, Juan-Manuel Fangio, is definitely out of the game. Free practice ends with Alberto Ascari in pole position on his Ferrari, followed by his teammates Nino Farina and Piero Taruffi. Jean Behra and Robert Manzon are in the second row on their Gordini while Paul Frère (HWM), Ken Wharton (Frazer-Nash) and Mike Hawthorn (Cooper-Bristol) are in the third row. The race starts in the rain and Taruffi is the protagonist of a very bad start, ending up in the middle of the group, while Behra makes a great start and goes ahead of Ascari and Farina. Moss is among the head of the race too but his ERA suffers a failure and he is out. Ascari and Farina easily overcome Behra while Taruffi battles and recovers until overtaking on the French on the first lap. Ascari effortlessly goes on to take the win.
6th of July 1952: French Grand Prix
Track: Rouen Les Essarts Pole position: Alberto Ascari (Ferrari) Winner: Alberto Ascari (Ferrari)
The World Championship returns to Rouen for the fourth race of the season. The previous weekend Jean Behra on Gordini had defeated the Ferrari in the Grand Prix of La Marne (not valid for the World title) and expectations were high. Ferrari had made progress with some modifications to the engine and brought three cars for Alberto Ascari, Nino Farina and Piero Taruffi. Gordini has Behra, Robert Manzon (with a sore arm) and Prince Bira competing while the HWM races with Lance Macklin, Peter Collins and Yves Giraud-Cabantous.
The official Maserati team does not appear but brings a car to be tested by Philippe Étancelin. Ascari is easily the quickest with Farina and Taruffi behind him. Behra and Manzon share the second row, while Maurice Trintignant is in the third row with an old Simca-Gordini. Bira and Collins behind him. The race as we thought, is a bargain only for the Reds with Ascari in front of Farina throughout the GP. After a brief fight with the Gordini, Taruffi arrives third. Manzon manages to finish fourth while Behra is wrong and is forced to return to the pit to repair the car. This leaves Trintignant in fifth position, 5 laps from Ascari but a lap in front of Collins. The Ferrari team thus obtains a first historic hat-trick, consisting of three Italian drivers all on the Ferrari 500.
19th of July 1952: British Grand Prix
Track: Silverstone Pole position: Giuseppe Farina (Ferrari) Winner: Alberto Ascari (Ferrari)
The race is dominated by the Ferraris with Ascari and Farina in the lead. Taruffi starts off badly and has to contend with Connaught and Cooper-Bristol. He soon reaches sixth position in front of Dennis Pooree’s Connaught. Flour has problems and must often return to the pits to repair the car, arriving only sixth. When Poore stops for fuel, Hawthorn snatches P3 keeping it until the checkered flag. While the British celebrate Hawthorn, Ascari wins. The race ends with the first one-two of the Maranello team at the British GP, with Ascari first and Taruffi second.
3rd of August 1952: German Grand Prix
Track: Nürburgring Pole position: Alberto Ascari (Ferrari) Winner: Alberto Ascari (Ferrari)
Maserati finally presents their highly anticipated one-seater, the A6GCM, driven by Felice Bonetto. Ferrari is once again fastest in qualifying, with Ascari and Farina snatching the front row, and the second row saw Taruffi and the private (but Ferrari-powered) contender Fischer. Bonetto’s Maserati makes the third row. An otherwise dull race is highlighted by an issue to Ascari’s car just two laps to the chequered flag. An oil malfunction means he has to run to the pits, emerging 10 seconds behind Farina. He catches the teammate just ten miles before home. Piero Taruffi is running in third behind his teammates, but loses the position to Rudi Fischer towards the end of the race when he encounters problems due to his suspension breaking. Fischer’s podium and Taruffi’s fourth place-finish ensure a Ferrari poker, yet another record being broken and the mathematical Championship win for Ascari.
17th of August 1952: Dutch Grand Prix
Track: Zandvoort Pole position: Alberto Ascari (Ferrari) Winner: Alberto Ascari (Ferrari)
Luigi Villores joins the Ferrari lineup again, after the 1951 season, to replace Piero Taruffi, alongside regulars Nino Farina and Alberto Ascari. At this point, races are pretty uneventful, the Ferrari domination being more than consolidated. Ascari takes pole, followed by Farina. Hawthorn, starting in the first row too, fights with the Ferraris for five laps before inevitably falling behind. In this race, Ascari breaks Fangio’s record of most World Championship race wins in the same season.
7th of September 1952: Italian Grand Prix
Track: Monza Pole position: Alberto Ascari (Ferrari) Winner: Alberto Ascari (Ferrari)
Monza only allows 24 cars to start the race, meaning that 11 out of the 35 drivers who entered the race don’t go past qualifying. The weekend starts with Ascari’s third consecutive pole and a Ferrari front-row lockup with Villoresi and Farina. Five Ferraris enter their home race, an unprecedented record. José Froilán González, who scored Ferrari’s first F1 race victory just a year before and is now racing for Maserati, takes first place at the start of the race, ahead of Ascari in second.
The Argentine remains in the lead for the first 36 laps of the race, until a slow pit stop makes it possibile for Ascari and Villoresi to overtake him going P1 and P2. Ascari holds the lead for the remainder of the race. González eventually catches up Villoresi and passes him, getting P2 in his only Championship race of the season. Villoresi completes the podium, immediately followed by Farina. In the last Championship race, Ferrari monopolises the first three positions of the final Drivers’ Standings.
Ferrari Lifestyle | ROSSO 