Challenge NA – Tipple and Burrowes crowned champions
Posted: 15.09.2018
Source: Ferrari
Braselton, 15 September 2018 – The first Champions of the Ferrari Challenge Trofeo Pirelli season in North America were crowned today at Road Atlanta. Under hot and steamy conditions, drivers braved the fast lefts and rights of the classic Georgia layout. Under the constant potential for disruption from Hurricane Florence, all sessions were able to run in dry conditions.
Trofeo Pirelli. Cooper MacNeil (Scuderia Corsa – Ferrari Beverly Hills) took himself ever closer to the Trofeo Pirelli championship with a win on Saturday. While the ending margin was fairly close at 1.4 seconds, Cooper had the race well in hand, leading from the first lap onwards. Benjamin Hites (The Collection) was able to insert himself into the customary Trofeo Pirelli rivalry, slotting between Cooper and reigning champion Peter Ludwig (Wide World Ferrari). Peter did his very best to attack Ben, but while the battle ebbed and flowed, Peter was ultimately unable to make a dent.
Trofeo Pirelli AM. Ross Chouest (Ferrari of Palm Beach) claimed victory over Murray Rothlander (Ferrari of Vancouver) and John Boyd (Ferrari of Denver). In a race that was run start to finish without caution but with several retirements, Ross had the consistent pace and better starting position that became key factors to his success.
Coppa Shell. Thomas Tippl (Scuderia Corsa – Ferrari Beverly Hills) continued his indomitable run of wins and ultimately claimed the Coppa Shell championship in his first racing season, three races early. Mark Fuller (Scuderia Corsa – Ferrari of Westlake) took his now customary position in 2nd, and rounding out the podium for Scuderia Corsa was Chris Carel (Scuderia Corsa – Ferrari of Beverly Hills). A mid-race caution proved just enough to condense the field but there was never a serious challenge to Thomas all race long.
Coppa Shell AM. John Megrue (Ferrari of Long Island) and Kevan Millstein (Scuderia CAVA – Ferrari of San Diego) demonstrated impressive turns of pace to mix with the top Coppa Shell contenders. John Megrue – in his first year of Ferrari Challenge competition – was in fact the closest driver to Thomas on outright pace while Kevan enjoyed a race-long scrap with Mark Fuller and Chris Carel in the sister category. Bradley Smith (Scuderia Corsa – Ferrari of South Bay) earned third place on the road, however a 30 second penalty for a pass under the loan caution of the race dropped him down the order and promoted Keith Larson (Ron Tonkin Gran Turismo) to the podium in his first race of 2018.
458 Challenge EVO. Martin Burrowes (Ferrari Ft Lauderdale), James Walker (Ferrari of Houston) and Trevor Baek (Ron Tonkin Gran Turismo) continued their epic three-way duels at Road Atlanta with Martin Burrowes taking a well-earned win after holding off a persistent and attacking James Walker. Despite multiple trips a bit too deep into Turn 10, Martin was able to hold his position. Their constant bickering, however, allowed Trevor Baek to stay within striking distance for the entire race distance. Meanwhile, Eileen Bildman (Ferrari of Long Island and Riley Ryen (Ferrari of Vanouver) found themselves in an end-of race battle for the Ladies Cup. Ultimately, however, Eileen was able to prevail as Riley made her return to racing since the second round of 2018 at COTA. Burrowes is now champion on maths with a race to spare.
Ferrari Challenge Europe – Nicklas Nielsen champion on dream day for Manu Gostner
Posted: 16.09.2018
Source: Ferrari
Montmelò, 16 September 2018 – Manuela Gostner became only the second woman to win a Ferrari Challenge Europe race, with victory today in Race-2 of the Coppa Shell. Murat Cuhadaroglu, Chris Froggatt and Nicklas Nielsen also won, with the latter sealing the 2018 Trofeo Pirelli title with a round to go.
Coppa Shell. In the Coppa Shell, polewoman Manuela Gostner, set off best and settled into the lead pursued by her Ineco-MP Racing teammate, Erich Prinoth, and Race-1 winner, Christophe Hurni. The Italian quickly established a solid lead over Prinoth who was caught up in a duel with the Team Zenith Sion-Lausanne driver, who passed him on lap 5. The battle for third was hard fought with Fons Scheltema (Kessel Racing) passing Rick Lovat (Octane 126) to move into fourth and then overtaking Prinoth for third. Shortly after, Lovat also passed Prinoth, then forced to retire, and a mistake by Scheltema handed the Canadian driver third place on a silver platter. Manuela Gostner thus became the second woman to win a Ferrari Challenge race after Fabienne Wohlwend, victor in Race-2 at Imola in 2017 and then three times this season. Hurni’s second place is particularly valuable because it gives him the lead in the standings thanks to the withdrawal of Eric Cheung after a mechanical issue affected the 488 Challenge of Formula Racing.
Shell Am. Alexander Nussbaumer (Formula Racing) failed to repeat his win in Race-1 of the Coppa Shell Am against championship leader Murat Cuhadaroglu who fought tooth and claw to hold his position. Kessel Racing’s Turkish driver ceded first place at the start but immediately recovered to triumph ahead of Nussbaumer and Dusan Palcr (Scuderia Praha). Ingvar Mattsson finished in fourth, a long way behind his two rivals with only the Finali Mondiali at Monza, from 1 to 4 November, to go before the end of the season.
Trofeo Pirelli. In the Trofeo Pirelli, championship leader Nicklas Nielsen needed to finish ahead of Bjorn Grossmann to wrap up the title ahead of schedule, which the Formula Racing driver did easily enough, beating his Octane 126 rival. The race itself was overshadowed by two accidents that obliged the race officials to bring on the Safety Car twice. Third place went to Jens Liebhauser who beat Sean Hudspeth in a final sprint.
Pirelli Am. In the Trofeo Pirelli Am, poleman Jack Brown was quickly knocked out of the running by an accident involving Formula Racing drivers Sean Hudspeth and Jens Liebhauser. This left the way open for the 2018 champion Chris Froggatt (Ferrari GB – HR Owen) to notch up his eighth win of the season ahead of Fabienne Wohlwend (Octane 126) and Tommaso Rocca.
Challenge Europe – Barcelona smiles upon Hurni, Nussbaumer, Nielsen and Froggatt
Posted: 15.09.2018
Source: Ferrari
Montmelò, 15 September 2018 – Ferrari 488 Challenge drivers Nicklas Nielsen, Chris Froggatt, Christophe Hurni and Alexander Nussbaumer won the first races of the Barcelona round of the Ferrari Challenge Europe 2018. Froggatt also sealed the Trofeo Pirelli Am title, the first to be decided this season.
Coppa Shell. The Coppa Shell race opened the day with Christophe Hurni (Team Zenith Sion-Lausanne) warding off the attack of a rampant Manuela Gostner (Ineco-MP Racing) to hold onto the top spot he gained in qualifying. Fons Scheltema was third in the 488 Challenge of Kessel Racing. Further back, Erich Prinoth (Ineco-MP Racing) embarked on an ordeal that saw him lose positions and valuable points. Hurni sealed his third career win in the Ferrari Challenge Europe ahead of Manuela Gostner, who recorded her third second place finish. Behind Scheltema came championship leader Eric Cheung (Formula Racing), who still tops the standings albeit less than 10 points ahead of Hurni.
Shell Am. Alexander Nussbaumer pulled off a perfect race in the Coppa Shell Am: starting from second, the Formula Racing driver passed poleman Murat Cuhadaroglu (Kessel Racing) and went on to win. However, the Turk has reason to celebrate as he now leads the championship standings courtesy of the retirement of Ingvar Mattsson (Scuderia Autoropa). Only 2.5 points separate Murat and Nussbaumer, now his closest rival. Third place went to Dusan Palcr in the 488 Challenge of Scuderia Praha, who did well to overhaul Malaysia’s David Lim (Formula Racing), who nevertheless achieved his career’s best result.
Trofeo Pirelli. The afternoon saw the Trofeo Pirelli race in which Danish driver Nicklas Nielsen (Formula Racing) held onto first position at the start ahead of Bjorn Grossmann (Octane 126). Behind them though all hell broke loose with rookie Oliver Grotz losing control of the 488 Challenge of Formula Racing and smashing into teammate Sean Hudspeth and John Sawbridge (Ferrari GB – HR Owen), both forced to retire. Nielsen won ahead of Grossman in second, while third place went to Jens Liebhauser (Formula Racing) followed by Alessandro Vezzoni (Rossocorsa-Pellin Racing).
Pirelli Am. In addition to Hudspeth, Grotz’s mistake at the start also knocked out John Sawbridge who waved goodbye to his run of consecutive finishes in the points. All this made it even easier for championship leader Chris Froggatt, whose only challenger was Jack Brown (Ferrari GB – Graypaul Nottingham). Third place went to Danish driver Claus Zibrandsen (Formula Racing) while a seventh win gave Froggatt, the season’s dominator, mathematical certainty of the title also courtesy of a crash that involved Scuderia Autoropa’s Martin Nelson and Fabienne Wohlwend (Octane 126). The race ended behind the Safety Car.
On Sunday, the races will set off again at 12.50 pm (Coppa Shell) and 3.35 pm (Trofeo Pirelli).
Challenge Europe – The world’s greatest one-make series arrives in Barcelona
Posted: 14.09.2018
Source: Ferrari
Barcelona, 14 September 2018 – The Ferrari Challenge Europe is gearing up for its sixth round at the Catalunya-Barcelona Circuit in Montmelò. The fight for the title is still open in all categories although some could be decided over the weekend.
Trofeo Pirelli Am. The Trofeo Pirelli Am is the most likely to be wrapped up in Barcelona. Chris Froggatt (Ferrari GB – HR Owen) has dominated the season, with only the young Fabienne Wohlwend (Octane 126) still in with a chance. However, her British rival just needs a handful of points to seal the deal on the penultimate round. This class also sees the return of Christoforou Pantelis (Ferrari GB – HR Owen) and the debut of Germano Salernitano (Gohm Motorsport).
Trofeo Pirelli. The other standings are much more fluid, although Formula Racing driver, Nicklas Nielsen, holds a comfortable 38-point lead over Bjorn Grossmann (Octane 126) in the Trofeo Pirelli. In Barcelona, we expect good results from Singapore’s debutant Sean Hudspeth, but also Jens Liebhauser and Alessandro Vezzoni (Rossocorsa-Pellin Racing) can do well.
Coppa Shell. A really interesting three-way fight is taking shape in the Coppa Shell. Eric Cheung (Formula Racing) tops the standings with three wins in the last five races but he has not yet shaken off his two fiercest rivals, Christophe Hurni (Team Zenith Sion-Lausanne) and Erich Prinoth (Ineco-MP Racing) who lag respectively 20.5 and 21 points behind.
Coppa Shell Am. The tightest fight is in the Coppa Shell Am where Ingvar Mattsson (Scuderia Autoropa) and Murat Cuhadaroglu (Kessel Racing) are separated by just one point, with Alexander Nussbaumer of Formula Racing in hot pursuit, just 6.5 points behind. Indeed, the Austrian is currently the in-form driver with three victories in the last six races.
Programme. After Friday’s free practices qualifying will be held on Saturday (9 am and 11:30 am) followed the first two races of the weekend. The Coppa Shell gets underway at 12:50 pm while the Trofeo Pirelli starts at 3:35 pm. The same programme is repeated on Sunday.
Challenge APAC – Dicker wins, one-two for Hutasoit and Yamaguchi at Singapore
Posted: 16.09.2018
Source: Ferrari
Singapore, 16 September — The weather was once again cloudy with high humidity when the 2018 Ferrari Challenge Asia-Pacific sixth round Race-2 started at 4.55PM local time. Given the very technical track, the hot weather has contributed to the complexity of managing tyres and their degradation even more challenging. Nevertheless, all the Challenge drivers made their best final preparations in eager anticipation of the final race of the weekend.
Trofeo Pirelli. Qualification for Race-2 was set by the Race-1 results from Saturday. Renaldi Hutasoit from Indonesia once again started from pole position with Philippe Prette from Italy putting in an early battle for the lead. Hutasoit managed to keep his position throughout the race, maintaining a good gap between him and Prette before the latter finished in the slipstream of Hutasoit in a thrilling finish. It was pretty much a repeat of yesterday’s race where the wheel-to-wheel battle once again took place between Go Max of Japan and Alex Au of Hong Kong. Max managed to keep Au at bay for most of the race but unfortunately spun out of control during lap 9 and Au grabbed the opportunity to secure third place overall.
Coppa Shell. In what was a repeat of Race-1 podium on Saturday, Kazuyuki Yamaguchi from Japan powered his way to victory in Race-2. He drove a strong and convincing race to take the top step of the podium. Tiger Wu from Chinese Taipei made a dramatic improvement on his fourth place finish in Race-1 to come in second position. Michael Choi from Hong Kong, took the last step of the podium of that eventful race.
Coppa Shell AM. In the Coppa Shell AM class, the win went to David Dicker from Australia who also took the Gentlemen’s Cup. Evan Mak of Hong Kong took second position while Grant Baker of New Zealand took third. Kanthicha Chimsiri of Thailand took the Ladies’ Cup.
Next Round. From here, the Ferrari Challenge drivers will converge in Monza Italy for Finali Mondiali from 1–4 November. This final round of the Asia Pacific series will be a close fight in Trofeo Pirelli class, as the three leaders on the table standings are now only eleven points apart from each other. The Asia Pacific series drivers will join those competing in Europe and North America Series for the traditional end-of-season celebrations.
Challenge APAC – Hutasoit, Yamaguchi and Chen take the first race in Singapore
Posted: 15.09.2018
Source: Ferrari
Singapore, 15 September 2018 — It was a hot day with track temperatures hovering around 35° and humidity at 63% when Race-1 of Ferrari Challenge Asia-Pacific opened in Singapore in support of the Formula 1 Singapore Grand Prix. Twenty-seven Ferrari Challenge drivers tackled the unique street circuit and took the green flag at 4.50PM local time. Fierce competition marked the 10-lap twenty-five-minute race with plenty of action and a few incidents.
Trofeo Pirelli. Polesitter Renaldi Hutasoit from Indonesia roared to his first win of the weekend, leading every lap while keeping a close eye on the contenders behind him. There was a fierce race-long battle between Philippe Prette from Italy, Alex Au from Hong Kong and Go Max from Japan. Au was in second position for the first few laps but Prette was clearly not going to give up and put on some very forceful and demonstrative moves. He finally succeeded in overtaking Au halfway through the race and managed to keep Au at bay. Unfortunately for Au, a backmarker was in his way when Go Max from Japan successfully launched his last minute attack in lap 9 and overtook Au, taking the last step on the podium.
Coppa Shell. Despite qualifying fourth on the grid in his class, Kazuyuki Yamaguchi from Japan had a dominant run and powered four places ahead to come in first in his class. Yanbin Xing of China, starting from pole position, couldn’t find the extra gear to overtake Yamaguchi after the latter powered ahead and had to settle for second position while Tani Hanna from Lebanon claimed third place, which is enough for him to be crowned the 2018 Ferrari Challenge Asia Pacific champion in his class.
Coppa Shell AM. In the Coppa Shell AM class, the win went to Kent Chen from Chinese Taipei who, once taking the lead, went to work establishing a gap over his nearest rivals. The other two podium places went to David Dicker from Australia and Evan Mak from Hong Kong. Dicker also took the Gentlemen’s Cup while Kanthicha Chimsiri of Thailand took the Ladies’ Cup.
Schedule. Having just set the grid for Race-2, drivers will have a short break before preparing to do battle at 4.50PM local time before the Formula One Grand Prix begins at 8.10PM.
Challenge APAC – Round 6 roars into Singapore
Posted: 13.09.2018
Source: Ferrari
Singapore, 13 September 2018 — Round 6 of 2018 Ferrari Challenge Asia-Pacific will make its fourth appearance in Singapore in support of the Formula 1 Singapore Grand Prix. The Marina Bay Street circuit will see 32 drivers getting behind the wheel of the 488 Challenge for one practice session tomorrow, one qualifying session on Saturday and two adrenalin-filled races over the weekend around the 5.065 km floodlit harbourside street circuit.
The Standings. The title chase for each of the three classifications has reached fever pitch as the Challenge drivers fight for the 2018 championship before the final race in Monza, Italy. Following the last race held on 23 to 25 August at the Suzuka International Circuit, Alex Au from Hong Kong continues to lead the Trofeo Pirelli standings with 142 points, and has consistently been standing on the podium steps for the last four rounds with three wins. Philippe Prette from Italy is his nearest rival with 123 points. Renaldi Hutasoit from Indonesia is third with 113 points. The winner of Race-1 in Suzuka, Go Max, is a close fourth in the standings with 89 points. With only 19 points separating Au and Prette, expect to see an epic title battle during the weekend.
Coppa Shell. In Coppa Shell class, it was five wins in a row for Tani Hanna from Lebanon over the last three rounds, further solidifying his lead at the top of the table with 176 points. He has a 79-point lead over his nearest rival, Tiger Wu of Chinese Taipei who has 97 points. Twelve points behind comes Yanbin Xing from China with 85 points, who is also celebrating the title of being the first driver to reach 100 starts in Ferrari Challenge APAC series. Meanwhile, David Dicker from Australia has maintained his lead in the Coppa Shell AM category with a total of 145 points, a 26-point advantage over Grant Baker from New Zealand at 119 points. Andrew Moon from Korea isn’t far behind with 105 points.
Schedule. Tomorrow’s schedule sees one Practice session taking place at 7.15PM local time under the floodlights. The qualifying and first race of the weekend will take place on Saturday at 2.40PM and 4.55PM local time respectively while the second race on Sunday will be at 4.55PM local time.
Kimi Raikkonen to step down at the end of 2018
Posted: 11.09.2018
Source: Ferrari
Maranello, 11th September, 2018 – Scuderia Ferrari announces that, at the end of the 2018 season, Kimi Raikkonen will step down from his current role.
During these years, Kimi’s contribution to the Team, both as a driver and on account of his human qualities, has been fundamental. He played a decisive role in the team’s growth and was, at the same time, always a great team player.
As a World Champion for Scuderia Ferrari, he will always be part of the Team’s history and family. We thank Kimi for all of this and wish him and his family a prosperous future.
Kimi Räikkönen to race for the Alfa Romeo Sauber F1 Team from 2019
Posted: 11.09.2018
Source: Alfa Romeo Sauber F1
The Alfa Romeo Sauber F1 Team is delighted to announce that Kimi Räikkönen will join the team from 2019. The 2007 Formula One World Champion has signed for the next two seasons.
In his career, Kimi Räikkönen has secured 20 Grands Prix wins and 100 podiums, making him one of the most highly regarded drivers in the history of the sport. The Alfa Romeo Sauber F1 Team looks forward to the arrival of the Finnish driver, with whom the team shares the common goal of achieving ambitious results.
Frédéric Vasseur, CEO of Sauber Motorsport and Team Principal of the Alfa Romeo Sauber F1 Team:
“Signing Kimi Räikkönen as our driver represents an important pillar of our project, and brings us closer to our target of making significant progress as a team in the near future. Kimi’s undoubted talent and immense experience in Formula One will not only contribute to the development of our car, but will also accelerate the growth and development of our team as a whole. Together, we will start the 2019 season with a strong foundation, driven by the determination to fight for results that count.”
Charles Leclerc to drive for Scuderia Ferrari in 2019
Posted: 11.09.2018
Source: Ferrari
Maranello, 11th September, 2018 – Scuderia Ferrari announces that in the next Formula One racing season, Charles Leclerc will drive for the Team alongside Sebastian Vettel.
The Alfa Romeo Sauber F1 Team congratulates Charles Leclerc on extraordinary career step
Posted: 11.09.2018
Source: Alfa Romeo Sauber F1
The Alfa Romeo Sauber F1 Team would like to congratulate Charles Leclerc on his fantastic step of joining the Scuderia Ferrari from 2019, and wishes him the best for his future in our sport.
During his first season in Formula One, the twenty-year-old Monegasque driver has given the Swiss team great satisfaction. Together they will continue working to make further progress in the final part of the season.
Frédéric Vasseur, CEO of Sauber Motorsport and Team Principal of the Alfa Romeo Sauber F1 Team:
“It has been a great pleasure to support Charles Leclerc in his rookie year in Formula One. Since his arrival, he has given the team great motivation. We have constantly improved and we will work hard until the end of this season to achieve the best possible results together. We are aware of Charles’ talent and are confident that he will have a bright future. We will keep on following him closely and we wish him the best on his path.”
| Circuit | Marina Bay Street Circuit |
| Date | 16.09.2018 |
| Laps | 61 |
| Distance | 308,706 km / 191,862 miles |
| No | Driver | Ferrari | S/N | Team | Result |
| 5 | Sebastian Vettel | SF71H | – | Scuderia Ferrari | 3. |
| 7 | Kimi Raikkonen | SF71H | – | Scuderia Ferrari | 5. |
Singapore Grand Prix – Marina Bay, 16 September
Posted: 16.09.2018
Source: Ferrari
Maurizio Arrivabene: ”Today’s winner deserved the victory. After Sebastian overtook Verstappen, we went for an aggressive strategy, trying for the undercut on the Ultrasoft tyres. Unfortunately, during the one lap that would prove to be crucial, we found ourselves behind another car and so we were unable to run at a fast enough pace. Despite today’s result, not all is lost. Now, calmly and with determination, we will tackle the remaining six races, fighting all the way to the end.”
Sebastian Vettel: ”It’s never easy to come and win even if, obviously, that was our target. Yesterday the qualifying didn’t go the way we wanted and we couldn’t extract the best out of ourselves. Today, starting from third position, we had to try something different, but it didn’t work out and we finished where we started. We were running second after a good start which allowed me to get past Max, I was happy and confident when I got the call to box, I knew I needed a mega out lap to try and challenge for the lead but it didn’t work. I lost time behind another car and the brakes got a little too hot, it was close but we got the worse of it. I fully support the team’s decision because, as I am sitting in the car, I can’t be aware of everything that goes on, so I rely on them. Our target was not to finish third, but today we just did not have enough speed.”
Kimi Raikkonen: ”Not much happened today in the race; the car was behaving well and we had a fair speed, but most of the time we were stuck behind somebody and taking care of the tires. On this track it’s impossible to overtake, unless the guy in front makes a massive mistake. I could see Bottas struggling with his front right tire and locking it sometimes, I could get closer to him but not enough to pass. Through the middle part of the track it was even difficult to follow him because we were losing downforce. In the first stint we stayed out longer hoping for a Safety Car, but it did not happen. The qualifying here is the key and obviously, when you start behind, your race ends up being a bit boring, getting stuck behind other cars. There was no way we could use our speed. Obviously we wanted more, we did what we could, but this is what we have got today.”
Singapore Grand Prix – Boredom the winner in Singapore
Posted: 16.09.2018
Source: Ferrari
Seb on the podium, Kimi fifth, in their starting positions
Marina Bay, 16 September –The Singapore race ran true to form, in that in the Monaco of the East, anything can happen, but usually nothing does. Sebastian made it to the podium in third spot and Kimi was fifth, meaning Scuderia Ferrari finished where it started. It was a shame, because the start had let us hope for better, but Seb had to deal with traffic, which partly compromised what was an aggressive strategy.
FILM OF THE RACE: The top ten were all on Hypersofts. At the start, Seb attacked Verstappen, right with him after the first corner and then getting past at the gentle curve of Turn 6, just before the yellow lights came on, because Ocon was in the wall. Kimi meanwhile had maintained his fifth place off the grid.
The restart came on lap 5, with no passing moves. At this stage, Ferrari was mainly focusing on tyre and fuel management. Only after lap 10 did the pace pick up, while on the pit wall, thoughts were already turning to pit stops. Vettel came in for his at the start of lap 15. As he came out, he would have to give it his all to try and pull off the undercut. Seb took on the Ultrasofts and Hamilton came in for Softs, rejoining still ahead, while Vettel was fighting with Perez. In the pit stop race, the Ferrari had gained a few tenths, but it wasn’t enough.
As for Kimi, he went long on his stint, while his team-mate got past the Force India on lap 17. But he’d lost a lot of time and he found himself right behind Verstappen as the Dutchman emerged from the pits. Kimi was leading and running a strong pace. Seb had to cool his brakes before speeding up again. Raikkonen made his pit stop on lap 23 and, unlike Vettel, he fitted a set of Softs, the hardest compound available here. Surprisingly, a few drops of rain fell. Out in front, it was Ricciardo now, who had yet to change tyres, which he did on lap 28, taking on Ultrasofts.
At two thirds distance, the leaders came up behind the first of the backmarkers. Kimi made the most of it to close on Bottas, but this is Marina Bay and overtaking is a rare sight. The battle in these closing stages livened things up a bit in the Singapore night, but really, now is the time to think about the remaining six races.
Singapore Grand Prix – “Anything can happen tomorrow”
Posted: 15.09.2018
Source: Ferrari
Seb, and Kimi not pleased with Quali session but already focused on the race
Marina Bay, September 15 – Third and fifth place in qualifying was clearly not what Scuderia Ferrari had hoped for, having consistently been fastest in free practice at Singapore’s street circuit However, both Seb Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen – who qualified in that order – are now looking to the opportunities that such a long race can offer tomorrow. Both Ferraris used Option (Ultrasoft) tyres for a planned attempt in the first run of Q2, then reverted to the Hypersoft compound as conditions proved that the track was extremely tyre-sensitive in tonight’s session.
“Our laps today were not ideal”, said Seb “and, all in all, our qualifying session was not as good as it could have been. I think we didn’t take the best out of the car. We didn’t have a smooth session, that’s it. The gap seems big but it’s partly because this is a very long track, so I am not worried. I think Lewis had a very good lap but he was not impossible to beat. Obviously, it’s always better to start from the front row, but I think tomorrow it will be fine. The car is good, so I believe we can stay with the group of the cars in front and then we have two hours of racing to work something out. You never know what can happen. Obviously, we should have done better because we had all the ingredients, but today we didn’t put them all together. I’m not completely upset because third is not a disaster, but for sure we wanted to qualify on pole and that was up for grabs today. However, we now turn the page and see how we can fight tomorrow”.
“This qualifying was a bit more tricky than we expected”, Kimi commented. “In general, we struggled to ‘switch on’ the tyres straightaway and make them work as easily as it had been all weekend; so I was a bit surprised. Things can change quickly from practice to qualifying, that’s why there’s no reason to look at the lap times in practice, especially in places like this. The end result obviously is not great; this is the kind of circuit where if you get everything right your lap can be very good, but if you have some difficulties, the time difference gets big very quickly . Tomorrow will be a long day, everybody seems to be quite close to each other; it will be a long, tough and hectic race , and usually many things happen here. We’ll try to make the right decisions and the right calls”.
Singapore Grand Prix – Ferrari 3rd and 5th
Posted: 15.09.2018
Source: Ferrari
Seb ahead of Kimi in qualifying
Marina Bay, 15 September – Sebastian Vettel secured third place on the grid for tomorrow’s race, with a best lap of 1’36”628, while Kimi Raikkonen will start from fifth, having set a time of 1’36”794. The Scuderia Ferrari drivers ran the same tyre programme, using the Ultrasoft and Hypersoft compounds.
Tomorrow’s race start at 20:10 at night local time, 14:10 CET.
Singapore Grand Prix – P3, Ferrari 1-2
Posted: 15.09.2018
Source: Ferrari
Seb first ahead of Kimi
Marina Bay, 15 September – Come the end of the final free practice session for the Singapore GP, the Scuderia Ferrari drivers topped the time sheet, with Sebastian Vettel fastest in 1’38”054 and Kimi Raikkonen second in 1’38”416. Both drivers ran Hypersoft tyres for the entire session, working on quick laps and race pace simulation. Next up is qualifying at 21h00 (15H00 CET.)
Singapore Grand Prix – A Smile and a Kiss
Posted: 14.09.2018
Source: Ferrari
Kimi fastest as Seb brushes the wall: “There’s potential in the car”
Singapore, September 14 – The first day at Marina Bay is mostly about adapting to the challenges of the 23-corner course, with a first practice session held still in daylight and a second one run after nightfall. Kimi Raikkonen came out as the fastest man – incidentally setting a new unofficial track record, allowing for the fact the circuit has been shortened by 2 metres – at the end of P2, while Seb Vettel was the only driver not to benefit from the clear advantage of the Hypersoft compound. A contact with the barrier out of the last chicane meant that his SF71H had to be driven back to the garage for repairs, which took till the end of the session. However, the car seemed to be quick and the battle is very open for tomorrow.
“Today everything felt OK and things ran pretty smoothly,” said Kimi. “In the first session we checked many things and made some changes; in the second one everything seemed to work . It was a normal Friday, but obviously this track is different to many others and the second session is held in different conditions from the first one. The tires behaved pretty much as we expected. The Hypersoft is the one that provides the best grip for sure, so it is very useful here, at least for the short runs. Obviously they are not going to last as long as the other compounds, but we are aware of that. I tried two different floors; there’s not a night and day difference between them, but we wouldn’t use something if we didn’t think it is better. Now we‘ll keep on doing our job and see what it brings tomorrow. For sure it will be close”.
“After hitting the wall”, said Seb “we took some precautions and decided to stop running. We lost some time, which is not ideal, but nevertheless I got a good feeling with the car. Luckily, I’ve been here before and I know the track so I can make up for lost time. Tomorrow I’ll be keen on finding the right balance to feel the car a little better than I did this evening. Then, I think it should be fine. On the other hand, Kimi’s data is very important too and it’s good to know he had a smooth session. I lost a bit of time today, but it can happen. In the evening we tried something on our car which didn’t work very well, but the car is good and has potential. I believe we can improve and tomorrow it will be better. Also, I think on Sunday tires will be an important factor, so we’ll see”.
Singapore Grand Prix – Ferrari on top in P2
Posted: 14.09.2018
Source: Ferrari
Kimi quickest, Seb clips the wall on quick lap
Singapore, 14 September – Kimi Raikkonen was fastest in the second free practice session at the Marina Bay circuit, taking his Ferrari round in a time of 1’38”699, running the Hypersoft tyre. Sebastian Vettel’s best lap was a 1’40”633, good enough for ninth on the time sheet, using Ultrasofts. The German’s session came to a premature end, as he hit the barrier on the exit of turn 21, when on a fast lap on the softest compound tyre. The mechanics did not have enough time to fix his SF71H so that he could go out for the rest of the session. FP3 starts tomorrow at 18:00 (12:00 CET.)
Singapore Grand Prix – Singapore is underway
Posted: 14.09.2018
Source: Ferrari
Scuderia Ferrari 3rd and 4th
Marina Bay, 14 September- the Asian F1 tour got underway today with the first free practice session for the Singapore GP. Sebastian Vettel was third fastest with a time of 1’39”997 and Kimi Raikkonen was fourth in 1’40”486. Both drivers ran the Hypersoft tyres. The second session takes place at night, starting at 20:30 (14:30 CET).
Singapore Grand Prix – “Same focus, same objectives”
Posted: 13.09.2018
Source: Ferrari
Big news for next year, but Kimi and Seb look forward to giving their best in 2018
Singapore, September 13 – Ten years have gone by since the Singapore Grand Prix became part of the Formula One season, but the charm of the nighttime street race remains unchanged. Scuderia Ferrari drivers Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen landed in Singapore on Tuesday and Wednesday respectively, off the back of the announcement that Kimi will leave the Team at the end of this year. The Iceman kept his usual composure in commenting on the events of the last few days and made it clear that his objective now is to ensure the best possible result for the Team in the remainder of the season:
“At Monza, I knew about the decision,” explained Kimi. “From now to the end of the season, we’ll try to finish at the top, and of course this doesn’t mean that the others won’t try to do the same. Many things are out of our hands, we can only do our best and score as many points we can; in the end we’ll see if that’s enough. Obviously, I can only drive one car to help the team in the fight for the championship. There’s always a lot of talk, a lot of things which can be helpful. It’s always easy to say “this and this will happen” but this is just easy in theory, while in practice it’s always difficult to get it right in many ways. So we will see what happens in the next races but we work for the same team and of course we know the rules: it’s pretty simple in the end”.
Sebastian took a moment to describe the particular challenge of the Singapore race: “It’s different from any other race in Asia, also because we stay on European time and rhythms and it’s one of the toughest races of the year, both mentally and physically. The climate is hot and humid, and it’s important that you get here well rested and healthy. It’s one of those Grands Prix where you feel you are never prepared enough, but then you can’t wait for the weekend to start as you relish the challenge”.
And as for the news concerning his team-mate, he added: “It’s a big change obviously, but I am more focused on the next race than I am on next year. I see there’s a big opportunity for Charles and I am happy about that, but on the other hand, it’s a bit sad to see Kimi go, because we get along together well, although we’re different. Having said that, I don’t think that will change our perspective till the end of the year; we have a great deal of respect for each other and we’ll keep the focus on the championship”.
Singapore Grand Prix – Unexpected similarities
Posted: 11.09.2018
Source: Ferrari
Marina Bay and Montreal? Two very different tracks. And yet…
What have the Singapore and Canadian Grands Prix got in common? Not much, you’d think, given that one is a street circuit and the other a super-quick track and one is run at night, the other in daylight. And yet the race that precedes the bulk of the European part of the season and the one that follows its conclusion have one common element: the chairs. Yes, in amongst the complexities of Scuderia Ferrari’s logistics programme, one element of the kit used in the team’s hospitality area in Montreal is making a “return” for this race in the tiny Asian republic. It’s just one example of just how tricky is the job of working out what goes where in terms of equipment over the course of the year.
Strange as it seems, another similarity concerns the brakes. Of course, at the Marina Bay circuit, the drivers don’t have to deal with the really heavy braking they encounter at the Ile Notre Dame. But the frequency of braking, fifteen times or so per lap, and the difficulty of cooling discs and pads in the equatorially humid conditions make Singapore one of the most demanding for the braking system, even though the average speed – Vettel’s pole lap last year was set at 183.272 km/h – is one of the lowest of the season.
The GP at Marina Bay has been on the calendar since 2008, making its name as the first ever Formula 1 night race. The job of turning normal streets into a track, designing and constructing the lighting rigs, ensuring safety and planning the logistics was a massive task. Ten years on, one can say that this race “won” the inevitable competition with the event in neighbouring Malaysia, which is no longer on the calendar. Apart from braking and fuel consumption, which is high because of the endless accelerations and braking, traction out of the corners is important as is concentration behind the wheel. As for the tyres, they skip a compound, with the Soft, Ultrasoft and Hypersoft being the chosen trio.
At the Ferrari Museum in Maranello the “Driven by Enzo” and “Passion and Legend” exhibitions
Posted: 04.09.2018
Source: Ferrari
Maranello, 4 September 2018 – On the 120th anniversary of the founder’s birth, the Ferrari Museum pays tribute to his passion for cars with the “Driven by Enzo” and “Passion and Legend” exhibitions, which retrace the countless developments in style and technology over the company’s history.
“Driven by Enzo” shows off the four-seater models driven personally by Ferrari. As is well known, Enzo Ferrari used to try out every car produced at Maranello himself, but not all of them were for day-to-day driving. On his daily journeys, he particularly loved four-seater cars because of their combination of comfort and sportiness and often ferried around his illustrious visitors in them. His passion for these cars began with the 1960 Ferrari 250 GT 2+2 and continued for the rest of his life with the 400 GTi, the 412, and finally the Ferrari 456 GT, a car he personally approved in 1988. Even when he decided to employ a chauffeur in 1969, the latter was often a passenger and travel companion of a man who always felt himself to be a driver.
“Passion and Legend” is the extraordinary story of Enzo Ferrari and his company, retraced through cars and images. Ferrari is the transposition into the real world of its founder’s vision and his unconditional love for cars, as we can see in this exhibition of seven decades of the most beautiful cars. Then we find the 166 Inter of 1948, the first Ferrari mainly for road use, the Ferrari 250 GT Berlinetta “Tdf” of 1956 and again the Dino 246. The exhibition carries on down to the cars of today such as the F12tdf, a special limited series, and the 812 Superfast, the company’s highest performing road car.
With the help of two interactive stations, the exhibitions also allow us to discover the most important 2+2 cars in the company’s history and to take a virtual tour of today’s production facilities.
The exhibitions will be at the Ferrari Museum in Maranello until May 2019.
| Circuit | Autodromo Nazionale di Monza |
| Date | 02.09.2018 |
| Laps | 53 |
| Distance | 306,720 km / 190,628 miles |
| No | Driver | Ferrari | S/N | Team | Result |
| 5 | Sebastian Vettel | SF71H | – | Scuderia Ferrari | 4. |
| 7 | Kimi Raikkonen | SF71H | – | Scuderia Ferrari | 2. |
Italian Grand Prix – Monza 2 September
Posted: 02.09.2018
Source: Ferrari
Maurizio Arrivabene: ”Definitely not the result we were looking for to give to our fans, who supported us in fine style all weekend, for which I thank them on behalf of the entire team. After the collision at the second chicane, Kimi had to fight two opponents on his own, while Seb, in a badly damaged car, fought his way up the order. We know we have a very strong car, which was clearly demonstrated by the fact we monopolised the front row of the grid. Now, the important thing is to react as a team, in an orderly and determined fashion, without ever giving up. There is still a long way to go in the championship and we are already preparing for the next challenge in Singapore.”
Kimi Raikkonen: Our car was really good today. The first set of tires was ok, while the second one didn’t last as long as we had expected. There wasn’t much we could do, we had to push all the time and there was no single moment in which we could take it easy and look after the tires. For sure we wanted a better result, but this is what we’ve got; we did our best but it was not enough. It’s easy to say what we should have done in an ideal world, but we did what we thought was right and I think there was nothing wrong. Second position is not ideal, but we take it; I think that we were lucky to finish the race, on the rear left tyre there was no rubber left. In the next races it’s going to be close pretty much everywhere. We keep doing our best and hopefully it will be enough for when we come to the last race.”
Sebastian Vettel: ”At the beginning I tried to overtake Kimi in Turn 1 and 4, but I couldn’t. He opened the brakes, which he had the right to do, so I moved aside and opened a gap to Lewis. Then I had room left and no chance anymore. So, when I touched Lewis, I span around and that was unfortunate, as my car got quite some damages. It could have gone differently, but obviously it wasn’t the case. Unfortunately, our race was compromised and it was a shame, but then I tried to do my best and had a decent recovery from the back. All in all, it could have been even worse. It’s disappointing of course, because we had the pace and we definitely could have won. There are many points to win back now in the championship, but we still have time to improve and we have the margin to recover. I am sorry for our tifosi because they just deserved a different result today.”
Italian Grand Prix – The podium was not enough
Posted: 02.09.2018
Source: Ferrari
Kimi second and Seb fights back to fourth in a race that was ruined at the start
Monza, 2 September –Kimi Raikkonen’s second place was not enough to make up for the disappointment in a race that could have delivered so much more for Scuderia Ferrari. The team was put on the back foot after a first lap collision left Vettel with a damaged car. That left Raikkonen to fight on alone, but excessive blistering on the Monza pole man’s rear tyres meant in the end he had to give best to the winner, while his team-mate fought back well from the back of the pack. The wonderful Monza crowd deserved more.
FILM OF THE RACE. The two SF71Hs maintained position off the line, but at the Roggia, Hamilton tried to go round the outside of Seb, whose car was spun round with damage to the front wing. The Safety Car was called out and the Number 5 Ferrari pitted to switch onto the Soft tyres and fit a new nose. The stewards decided that neither driver was significantly to blame for the incident.
The race resumed on lap 4. Hamilton got a tow off Kimi and got past at the first braking zone, but the Ferrari man fought back immediately, retaking the lead at the second Variante. He then began to pull away and he and Seb, at the other end of the field, were lapping in the same times. Use of DRS was now authorised and Sebastian was up to 15th despite his set-up no longer being quite right and, having passed Hulkenberg, he had Ricciardo in his sights. He got alongside the Australian at the Parabolica and passed him down the straight.
At one third distance, the gap between the two two was stable around one second, while Seb slipstreamed past Stroll, at 360 km/h! He then fought his way past Perez to go eighth.
Kimi pitted at the end of lap 20, while Seb passed Sainz. The Finn was now running fourth on the Softs. Sebastian had a bit of blistering but still managed to overtake Ocon, while a few drops of rain fell on the track.
Hamilton pitted at the end of lap 28, with Kimi leading. The other Ferrari man was pushing to the max, getting ready for a second tyre change. Another set of Supersofts went on and he set off in pursuit of tenth place. Out in front, was slowing things down to allow his team-mate to close on Kimi. But he too had to pit again with 16 laps remaining. Seb passed Perez and was now fifth. With 10 laps to go, Bottas went wide at the first chicane when he was nudged by Verstappen.
Kimi was struggling with his tyres and on lap 45, he had to give best at the first turn and concentrated on getting to the finish. Seb tried to close the gap to Verstappen, who would be given a 5 second penalty for his clash with Bottas. He managed it despite having a damaged car, while Kimi finally crossed the line in second place.
Italian Grand Prix – It’s a lock-out!
Posted: 01.09.2018
Source: Ferrari
Kimi grabs pole ahead of Seb with a ‘historic’ lap
Monza, September 1st – A cheering crowd saluted Scuderia Ferrari’s qualifying lock-out of the front row of the grid for tomorrow’s Italian Grand Prix-our home race. Kimi Raikkonen secured his 18th career pole position at an average speed of 263.587Kph, which sets a new all-time record for Formula One cars, improving on Juan-Pablo Montoya’s previous record time from 2004. Seb Vettel came in second just 0.161 seconds slower than his team-mate. The SF71H has performed well throughout the weekend so far but the team is well aware that tomorrow is when the points are given out and will be working hard to secure the best possible result.
“The car has been good all weekend”, said Kimi “and we knew it would have been a close battle. All three sectors were obviously crucial; so far the difference between the top three had been very small, so it was a question of who would get it right and today it was me! It’s great to be on pole in our home Grand Prix in front of our tifosi. When we are driving we cannot hear them, but we could see them cheering and they gave us a lot of support. As a team we did a very good job, we couldn’t have done any better today. I’m very happy for this result but unfortunately this doesn’t guarantee anything for tomorrow. Half of the job has been done, but tomorrow is the most important day. For sure we have a good car and the best possible starting place. The race is long and many things can happen; we need to do a perfect job and hopefully tomorrow will be another good day”.
Seb commented: “I’m a bit disappointed as I couldn’t get pole today and made some mistakes, so that my lap was not that tidy, but locking out the front row with both cars is a great result for the whole team. For tomorrow I think we will have the right speed to race and hopefully we can have a good start, which is always important, especially here. The race is long, so that anything can happen, but we’ll work hard and do our best. The car is strong, so we should be fine. I am happy for the result, as much for our tifosi and hope to get the same result tomorrow”.
Italian Grand Prix – All-Ferrari front row
Posted: 01.09.2018
Source: Ferrari
Kimi on pole ahead of Seb
Monza, 1st September – Kimi Raikkonen took his eighteenth career pole in today’s qualifying for the Italian Grand Prix, with a lap in 1’19”119, running on the Supersoft compound. Team-mate Sebastian Vettel was second quickest, also running the Supersoft tyres. All that’s left now is the race itself which starts at 15:10 tomorrow.
Italian Grand Prix – Ferrari first and third
Posted: 01.09.2018
Source: Ferrari
Final practice for Italian GP
Monza, 1 September – Sebastian Vettel was fastest in the final free practice session for the Italian Grand Prix with a time of 1’20”509. His Ferrari team-mate Kimi Raikkonen posted a 1’20”682, good enough for third fastest. Both drivers ran the same tyre programme, using the Supersoft tyres. The session was held in the dry, although, at the start, the track still had some damp patches after the morning rain shower. Qualifying gets underway at 15:00.
Italian Grand Prix – “The package is good”
Posted: 31.08.2018
Source: Ferrari
Seb and Kimi get through a mixed first day of practice
Monza, August 31 – The sun and heat of Thursday gave way to heavy clouds and bursts of rain for the first day of practice at the Autodromo di Monza. In the first session, Scuderia Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen braved the weather to post a total of 28 laps on the Intermediate tyres, while his teammate Sebastian Vettel only managed four laps, before a small issue with his spare gearbox put an end to his session. In the afternoon session, though, Seb set the best time ahead of Kimi on a dry track.
“Today it’s been a mixed day”, Seb commented “as the morning session didn’t go smoothly, but in the afternoon it got better. The balance of the car is not perfect yet, but I believe we can work on it for tomorrow as the car seems to be working well. This morning we had a little problem with the car; I wanted to run, but we had to check the gearbox first. However, it was good we could run in the afternoon. In P2 I slid off at Parabolica, but I managed to avoid touching the barrier, but I had just one slight nudge and came away with minor damage to the rear wing which had to be replaced. Apart from that, the car was fine. I am not entirely happy yet, but I know we can still improve because our car has big potential. I think we can do better tomorrow as the package is good, so we’ll see. We’ll keep doing our homework”.
“This morning” Kimi said “the session was held in the wet and we could only do a little running, but in the second practice, track conditions were back to normal. The conditions were the same for everybody, we cannot change the weather; I think that in the end we were quite lucky to have at least one session in the dry. Both compounds were ok, but obviously we did not do much mileage today. We are on yet another different track, so we obviously had some things to fine tune today, but it was not too bad for the first laps . Now we need to go through things and try to improve a bit for tomorrow”.
Italian Grand Prix – Wet P1 at Monza
Posted: 31.08.2018
Source: Ferrari
Kimi 2nd, only a few laps for Seb
Monza, 31 August – Just a few days on from Spa, the engines were fired up again at the Monza track. Unfortunately for the crowd, a heavy storm hit the track just before practice and the surface only began to dry out towards the end. Kimi Raikkonen set the second best time of 1’34”550, running on Intermediate tyres. Sebastian Vettel did a 1’37”867, stopping earlier than usual to allow the team to fit a spare gearbox while they carried out some checks. Second practice gets underway at 15:00.
Italian Grand Prix – “It’s Italy, it’s special”
Posted: 30.08.2018
Source: Ferrari
For Kimi and Seb Monza is a home grand prix
Monza, August 30 – Off the back of the Belgian Grand Prix, and one day after the great street show in the heart of Milan, comes Scuderia Ferrari’s home race. It’s hot at Monza, but conditions may change for the worse tomorrow. Anyway, for both Kimi and Sebastian, this is not a race like any other.
“I enjoy coming to Monza”, says Kimi “it’s a great circuit, a lot different from many others. It’s a challenging track even if on paper it’s only a few chicanes and a few corners; it’s not easy to be fast here. I have a lot of mixed memories from racing on this track; on some occasions we have been fast, but we never really got it together. There’s a lot of passion here from our tifosi, they give us a lot of support. Ferrari is Ferrari and our fans are loyal, in good and bad years, no matter the results we have. It’s Italy, it’s special, it’s our home grand prix. But the pressure we have here in Monza is the same that we have in other places. It doesn’t matter how the last race has gone, good or bad, it doesn’t guarantee anything for this weekend. We are in a different circuit and with different conditions; it will be a bit tricky over the weekend again here. It’s impossible for me to know now what will be the end result, it’s pure guesswork. The further you are up in qualifying the less you risk to end up with an issue. We ‘ll see how the weather will be tomorrow and how it goes . We’ll do our normal job and we’ll see what it brings”.
Seb adds: “In Spa we brought some updates, including the new engine and this track in Monza is somewhat similar to the one in Spa, but there are turns too, not just straights, that can make the difference. We need to find the right rhythm for this weekend. For sure, we don’t want just a podium. Winning is always great, but obviously winning here means much more to us as we are in Italy, the country where Ferrari was born. Our task is to make sure our car gets even better than in Spa. We know we have a very good engine, a great package, and we look ahead to the challenge. It’s great to get into the car and feel that it is possible to fight for first place. I believe 2016 and 2017 were fundamental for the development of the car and it’s so beautiful to see we have kept on with the pace. However, we want to get stronger and keep working hard”.
Italian Grand Prix – A meeting with history
Posted: 28.08.2018
Source: Ferrari
To Monza for a really special race
At the risk of stating the obvious, the Italian Grand Prix is a special race for Scuderia Ferrari. In amongst the bunch of records, even if one sticks just to the Formula 1 years, you can rummage around at random and always find something: from Alberto Ascari’s first win in 1951, to title clinching races for Niki Lauda and Jody Scheckter, to Michael Schumacher’s five victories, all with the Scuderia in the space of eleven years. That makes the German the driver most often seen on the top step of the Monza podium and what a podium it has become, with its walkway offering a unique vista to those on it and to the fans down below.
This is the 69th home race for Ferrari, only one of them not having been held at Monza, run instead at Imola in 1980 and it follows right on the back of the GP in Belgium. With a small squad dispatched to prepare for the Formula 1 Milan Festival event on Wednesday 29th, work at the Autodromo itself began at the start of the week. Spa and Monza are next to one another on the calendar and, in the collective imagination, they are seen as similar super-high speed tracks. In truth, there are several differences, because the Italian track does not feature the Ardennes-style flat out corners; in fact quite the contrary, it asks a lot more of the brakes while witnessing even higher speeds down the straight. If they have something in common, other than being two of the classics on the calendar, it’s the ever-present passion of the fans, which in Monza, it has to be said, is primarily red.
World record price at public auction for a Ferrari 250 GTO
Posted: 27.08.2018
Source: Ferrari
48.4 million bid at Monterey auctions
Maranello, 27 August 2018 – A 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO that was bid to $48,405,000 at the RM Sotheby’s sale at Monterey, California has become the most valuable car ever sold at public auction, beating the previous record for a 250 GTO – $38,115,000 – set in 2014.
The car sold on Sunday is the third of 36 250 GTOs built and is one of four early cars subsequently converted by the Scaglietti coachworks in 1964 with more aerodynamic bodywork designed by Pininfarina.
The Ferrari 250 GTO is acknowledged as being one of the most significant racing cars of all times. The first owner of this specific car, Edoardo Lualdi-Gabardi, was one of the most successful Italian privateers on track and in hillclimbs. With it he took the class win in the 1962 Italian GT Championship. Second owner, Gianni Bulgari, took first in class and 4th overall at the 1963 Targa Florio and the third owner, Corrado Ferlaino, repeated that class victory and came 5th overall at the same gruelling endurance race the year after with the modified bodywork.
Tribute to Ferrari Spiders
Posted: 27.08.2018
Source: Ferrari
The new 488 Pista Spider Joins the Family
In front of Casa Ferrari at Pebble Beach today, a concours of Ferrari Spiders graces the First Fairway. The newest 488 Pista Spider joins the line-up as the 50th drop-top model from the Prancing Horse and yesterday’s world premiere in the US was a natural choice given that, ever since the 1950s, North American clients have always been keen connoisseurs of high-performance convertibles. Fittingly, 50 examples of past drop-top models, all Ferrari Classiche certified, are presented on the lawn as a show of the exceptional lineage of the newest model. Among them a 212 Export, 250 Monza, 335 S, 250 Testa Rossa, 412 S, no less than four 275 GTS4 NART Spiders, 250 California, F50, F60America, LaFerrari Aperta, to name a few.
