Current Ferrari

Ferrari

FIA Entry: Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro
Drivers Car 5: Fernando Alonso
Car 6: Felipe Massa
Engine: Ferrari V8
Chairman: Luca di Montezemolo
Team Principal: Stefano Domenicali
Technical Director: Aldo Costa
Race Engineer Car 5: Andrea Stella
Race Engineer Car 6: Rob Smedley

Stats as of end 2010 Season

First Entered: 1950
Races Entered: 813
Race Wins: 215
Pole Positions: 205
Fastest Laps: 224
Driver World Championships: 15
Constructor World Championships: 16

Team History

Ferrari are the only team to have taken part in the F1 World Championship since it's inception in 1950. They are synonymous with F1 and, for many, the reason why they follow the sport. Ferrrai fans, or Tifosi, have clubs across the World and can be see supporting their beloved red cars from China to Brazil.

Pre-War

Enzo Ferrari founded Scuderia (Italian for Stable) Ferrari in 1929 as the race entrants for Alfa Romeo. In 1938 Alfa decided to create their own race team and Scuderia Ferrari became part of the Alfa Course team. Disagreeing with the decision Enzo Ferrari was dismissed. As part of his contract he wasn't allowed to enter motor sport under his own name for 4 years. Ferrari started to build his own car in 1939 but the start of WWII meant the Ferrari factory was used for other purposes

Before the World Championships

The first racing Ferrari was the Tipo 125 with a 12 cylinder 1.5 litre engine developed in 1947. This was the first car to bear the now legendary Ferrari name. In 1948 the 125 F1 was built with a supercharged version of the 12 cylinder engine which won 5 Grands Prix in 1949.

The 1950's

Ferrari missed the first race of the first World Championship season with their first entry being at Monaco with the 125 F1. The first V12 powered Ferrari appeared at the Belgian Grand Prix that year and Ascari finished 5th.

Ferrari's first F1 win came at the British Grand Prix in 1951 with the Tipo 375 in the hands of Froilan Gonzales. With F1 run to F2 regulations in 1952 and '53, causing the withdrawal of Alfa Romeo, Ferrari dominated and Alberto Ascari in the Tipo 500, with a 4 cylinder 2 litre engine, won the Drivers World Championship both years.

1954 saw the introduction of the 2.5 litre formula and Ferrari had new competition from Maserati, Lancia and Mercedes. The new Mercedes team were too strong and Ferrari could only manage two races wins.

Ferrari only won one race in 1955 and for 1956 used chassis bought from the now defunct Lancia team. With Mercedes withdrawal Fangio moved to Ferrari and duly won his 3rd consecutive championship. Still using the ageing Lancia chassis in in 1957 Ferrari failed to win a race. 1958 saw Mike Hawthorn win the Drivers Championship in the new 246 Dino, named after Enzo Ferrari's recently deceased son. Ferrari missed out to Vanwall in the inaugural year of the Constructors Championship.

1959 saw Tony Brooks, in the Top 246 just miss out on the Drivers Championship to Jack Brabham in a rear engined Cooper.

The 1960's

Slow to react the the obvious advantages of the rear engined cars Ferrari continued with the 246 in 1960 and only managed a single victory.

For 1961 engines sizes were limited to 1.5 litres and Ferrari entered their first rear engined car, the Tipo 156. Based on the previous years F2 car Phil Hill took the Drivers Championship and Ferrari their first Constructors title. With little development to the 156 Ferrari failed to win a race in 1962.

In a season dominated by Jim Clark and Lotus, John Surtees put Ferrari back in the winners circle in 1963 with a win Germany following the introduction of the "Aero" 156 semi-monocoque car. With 3 wins in 1964 Surtees won the Drivers titles by a single point from Graham Hill in the last race of the season and Ferrari took their 2nd constructors title.

Clark and Lotus dominated again in 1965 and Ferrari couldn't compete against the British Garagerists. The new 3 litre engine regulations for 1966 proved more successful and John Surtees won in Belgium and Mexico to take 2nd place in the Drivers Championship. The Tipo 312 didn't do well for Ferrari in 1967 with a highest position of 3rd. Jacky Ickx managed a single win for the Scuderia in 1968 at the French Grand Prix. Continuing with the 312 into 1969 Ferrari again had a barren year.

The 1970's

With Ickx back at Ferrari for 1970 and a with B spec version of the 312 Ferrari won four races, three for Ickx and one for young Swiss driver Clay Regazzoni, in his début year in F1. Ickx finished 2nd in the Drivers Championship to Jochen Rindt, F1's first posthumous World Champion, and Ferrari managed the same position in the constructors title race.

Ickx and Mario Andretti won races in 1971 but the season was dominated by Jackie Stewart and his Tyrrell car. Ickx won a single race in 1972 but, as the team continued with the 312B, they were outpaced but Lotus and Tyrrell in 1973.

A young Austrian driver by the name of Niki Lauda was partnered with Regazzoni for 1974 and the team regrouped under the leader ship of Luca di Montezemolo. Lauda won his first race, and Ferrari’s first win since 1972, in Spain. Lauda won again in Holland and Regazzoni in Germany to place Ferrari 2nd in the constructors championship.

Ferrari’s decision to sign Lauda was justified in 1975 as he won the Drivers with some ease, taking 5 race wins. Regazzoni also won the Italian Grand Prix and Ferrari won the Constructors title.

Lauda missed out on the drivers title by a single point to James Hunt in 1976. His season was "interrupted" by an horrific crash at the German Grand Prix at Nurburgring which nearly cost the Austrian his life. Astonishingly Lauda only missed two races but retired at the last race of the season believing the soaking conditions to dangerous to race in. Ferrari won the constructors title.

Lauda was Champion again in 1977 but left the team before the end of the season unhappy at the team's decision to run a 3rd car for Gilles Villeneuve at the Canadian Grand Prix.

For 1978 Ferrari paired Villeneuve alongside Argentine driver Carlos Reutemann. The 312T3, with it's flat 12 engine, wasn't ideal for the new "wing" car technology but Reutemann still managed 4 race wins and Villeneuve took a début win at his home race in Canada.

Reutemann was replaced by Jody Scheckter for 1979 and with the 312 now in T4 guise won the Driver Championship with 4 wins. Villeneuve contributed a further 3 races victories and Ferrari ran away with the Constructors title.

The 1980's

Struggling on with their flat 12 engine for 1980 Ferrari had a dreadful season with 5th place being the best the could manage. Scheckter retired from F1 at the end of 1980 and was replaced by French driver Didier Pironi.

Ferrari moved into a new era in 1981 and introduced a V6 turbo powered car. Although the engine produced plenty of power the 126CK chassis was not quite as good but, in Villeneuve’s hands, Ferrari took two races wins including Monaco, the first for a turbo car in the modern era.

1982 saw a new car designed by Harvey Posthelthwaite which gave their drivers a chassis which could match the engine. However it proved to be a tragic season with Villeneuve losing his life in qualifying at the Belgium Grand Prix and Pironi having an accident which would end his career during practice in Germany. Finishing the season with replacement drivers Patrick Tambay and Mario Andretti, Ferrari won the constructors title.

For 1983 Ferrari had an all French driver line up with Rene Arnoux joining Tambay. Tambay won one race and Arnoux 3 giving Ferrari a 2nd consecutive Constructors title. Michele Alboreto joined Arnoux at Ferrari for 1984 and managed a solitary win at the Belgian Grand Prix.

Arnoux was dismissed from the team after only 1 race in 1985 and was replaced by Swede Stefan Johansson. Alboreto was leading the Drivers championship at the half way point of the season but unreliability cost him the title as he failed to finish the last 5 races of the season.

Ferrari failed to win a race in 1986. For 1987 Gerhard Berger took Johansson's seat and and proved his worth by winning the last two races of the season. Berger won the Italian Grand Prix in 1988 and was the only driver, other than Prost and Senna in McLaren's, to win a race that year.

Nigel Mansell was singed to partner Berger in 1989 and won the opening race of the season. He won again in Hungary and Berger won in Portugal but the Ferrari cars were outclassed by the McLaren machines.

The 90's

1989 World Champion joined Mansell at Ferrari for 1990. Prost and Senna diced for the drivers title through to the Japanese Grand Prix where his hoped were ended when Senna drove into him as they braked for the first corner on the first lap.

Mansell Left Ferrari in 1991 to be replaced by Jean Alesi. Ferrari failed to win a race and Prost's criticism of the team resulted in him being replaced for the last race of the season by Gianni Morbidelli.

1992 to 1995 were lean times for Ferrari win only two wins, Berger in Germany 1994 and Alesi Canada 1995 before double World Champion Michael Schumacher joined the team from Benetton for 1996.

The Schumacher Era

Schumacher won 3 races for Ferrari in 1996 and in 1997 was joined by ex-Benetton engineers Rory Byrne and Ross Brawn. It proved to be an astonishingly successful partnership. Between 1997 and 2006, when Schumacher retired, they dominated the sport. From 149 races Schumacher won 63, took 51 poles, 43 fastest laps and 98 podiums. Schumacher won 5 five successive Drivers Titles between 2000 and 2004 and the team took the Constructors Title from 1999 to 2004.

During his time at Ferrari he was partnered by Eddie Irvine, '96 to '99, Rubens Barrichello, 2000 to 2005, and Felipe Massa for his final season. The period wasn't without controversy as Schumacher had a clause in his contract classifying him as Number 1 driver and on a number of occasions his team mates were required by the team to move aside and let Schumacher gain a higher place resulting in a change to the regulations by the FIA outlawing team orders.

Schumacher retired at the end of 2006 having placed 3rd and 2nd in the Driver title race to Fernando Alonso in 2005 and 2006.

From 2006

Kimi Raikkonen took on the task of filling Schumacher's place in the team for 2007 and duly won the Drivers Title and Ferrari the Constructors. 2008 saw Felipe Massa lose out on the title to Lewis Hamilton as Hamilton took the 5th place he needed two corners from the end of the last race of the season. Ferrrai had the consolation of the Constructors Championship.

Raikkonen and Massa raced together in 2009 and Raikkonen took a single win at the Belgian Grand Prix. Massa was injured in a freak accident at the Hungarian race and his place was taken by Luca Badoer and Giancarlo Fischella. The replacement drivers showed the short comings of the Ferrari 056 chassis and were some distance behind Raikkonen in the races they competed in.

Double World Champion Fernando Alonso took Raikkonen's place for 2010 and, like Mansell in 1989, won a place in the hearts of Ferrari supporters by winning his first race. With 5 wins through the season, including Ferrari’s home race in Italy, he was challenging for the title through to the final round but could only manage 7th in Abu Dhabi losing out on the title to Sebastien Vettel by 4 points.

2011 sees Ferrari continue with Alonso and Massa as their drivers and have named their car the F150th Italia to celebrate the 150th anniversary of Italy's foundation as a nation.
 
So just to clarify Kewee, a four time world champion who came up against a car he couldn't get to work, moves teams to Ferrari and if he struggles against a one time world champion, whose reputation has sunk recently, then his own reputation will go down the toilet.

But....

A two time world champion who has struggled for a number of years to get a car under him that will work, who then moves to a new team. If he struggles against a one time world champion whos reputation has sunk recently, then it doesn't matter as the two time world champion has nothing left to prove.

Hmmmm. I fail to see the difference to be honest. I'm sure you'll point it out but there's no need.
 
cider_and_toast ..... My posting wasn't aimed at picking an argument with anyone, I was simply pointing out that so far in his career Vettel's only success has been achieved with one team. Alonso has won GP's with three different teams, often dragging poor cars to podiums and successes his teammates haven't got close to. It's those many, sometimes exceptional drives, that leave Alonso with nothing to prove. Sir Jackie said a few months ago, "Vettel needs to prove himself with another team to be compared with the sports greats. I stand by my opinion, Vettel needs to beat Kimi to keep his reputation intact."
Incidentally, Buttons reputation hasn't sunk, McLaren haven't provided him with a car capable of running at the front.
 
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Another comment cider_and_toast, my original posting was a response to Olivier. There was nothing offensive in my posting just my opinion. You chose to respond and closed with a touch of sarcasm when you closed saying "you failed to see the difference" and continued with the comment "I'm sure you'll point it out but there's no need". Just to clear the air on that. This is a forum so if you don't want me to respond to your postings I'm not sure why you direct them to me.
 
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Kewee, I called you up on it because like everyone else, I knew what your response would be with regards to defending the honour of your favorite driver. It seems to me that your default setting when challenged on your opinions regarding Fernando Alonso is to claim that the response is a personal attack. My post is nothing of the sort. If you wander back through this, and the Alonso thread you will see a number of instances of the type I'm highlighting here. I almost posted after Oliver that there was no need for you to reply as I knew you would post a direct contradiction to Olivers opinion. Yes, this is a forum, a place for the discussion of ideas and opinions. You have your very entrenched opinion on Alonso and I felt it required some clarification against what I perceived to be a touch of hypocracy regarding Vettels achievements.

With regards to Sir Jackies opinion of Vettel, I wonder if he holds the same opinion about one of the greatest drivers of all time? Jim Clark won 25 GPs and 2 world championships with Lotus. Did he need to prove himself to anyone?

On the subject of Alonso versus Button, there has been a fairly large ammount of opinion both on this forum and in the media in general saying that Button should have called it a day at the end of the season. I feel his reputation had sunk regardless of the car he's had. Alonso should beat him relatively comfortably next year and if he harbors any title ambitions at all, he must beat him. The same apllies to Vettel. Both drivers have changed teams to revive their careers and both drivers are equally exposed to the court of public opinion. You could say exactly the same last year about Kimi's move from Renault where he rebuilt his reputation, to Ferrari where he killed it again.

Just because Alonso is your favorite driver doesn't make his circumstances any less difficult from those of Vettel's.
 
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cider_and_toast ..... I should clear something up here, you along with many others have the belief Alonso is my favourite driver, he's not. At my age I don't have favourites in anything, you grow out of that sort of thing usually not long after your teens. Some also believe I'm a Ferrari fan, wrong again. I'm a McLaren fan, always have been, I'm a Kiwi after all, 66 years old and know some of Bruce McLarens family, how could I not be a fan, which is why I was so pissed off with them over spygate as were many here in New Zealand especially those closest to the family. Drivers I like. I've always been a fan of Button, also Massa and now that he's gone through his growing-up years I'm very much a fan of Hamilton, in fact as a driver I think he's close to Alonso's equal. Yes I do rate Alonso based on his results over many years often in sub-par cars. The only reason I rate him above Hamilton is his lack of errors, this has always been a strength of Alonso and over the next couple of years it will be interesting to see if Lewis can remain error free if Alonso puts him under pressure. Of course we can find errors in Alonso's early years but very few. We know Hamilton stayed error free most of the time against Rosberg but will he against Alonso if the McLaren is strong. Time will tell. Regarding Vettel, the jurys out as far as I'm concerned. I've seen Vettel make more mistakes in a single season than Alonso has made in his entire career, Hamilton has also stayed cleaner in all but one year of his career to date. Vettel managed to make the 2014 Red Bull look very ordinary, his far less experienced teammate won three GP's in the same car.
Your comment on Jackie Stewarts opinion of Jim Clark is offensive. They were both Scottish and very close friends. The tragedy of their friendship ending with Clarks death negates your point. Clark never had the opportunity of driving for another team when he was at his peak so your question regarding Sir Jackies opinion is meaningless.
 
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I don't agree that my comment on Stewart and Clark is offensive. I am well aware of the friendship and closeness between the two. I do believe my point is a valid one however. If Jackie Stewart says Vettel is less of an F1 driver because he hasn't won with more than one team (if we don't count the Toro's of course) where would that leave Clark. A number of people close to Clark believe he was going to call it a day around 69/70. There is no doubt in my mind that he would have been 68 world champion as well. There have been a number of drivers in F1 who hit their peak when they get into the right team at the right time. It doesn't make them any better or worse if they win with multiple teams.

Vettel has been a full time driver in F1 for half the time Alonso has and won twice as many titles. I wonder how they will be remembered in years to come. Alonso's final few years in F1 will be defined by what is about to come at McLaren. He's at the back end of his career and against a driver of comparable age and experience.
 
Strangely, after the comments from Kewee, I had a quick search as I wondered how many teams JYS had won races for, let alone Championships. He won a couple of races for BRM in '65 and '66 and all the rest were under the guidance of Uncle Ken, either at Matra or Tyrrell. Sounds a bit Vettelesque really doesn't it, but then Jackie knows best doesn't he.
 
As I rcall, Vettel won a race with Toro Rosso, the ONLY race win that team has acheived. Therefore it could be argued that he has won races for as many teams as JYS did.

As for Vettel having a car advantage at RB, I don't see how anyone could claim that that team EVER had an advantage of the magnitude that Merc had this year.
 
Your quite right FB, the same thing occurred to me but it didn't contradict my posting. Sir Jackie was comparing Vettel's achievements with other past greats, he wasn't including himself among them. For whats it's worth I think Vettel should have stayed with Red Bull, I don't think it matters if a driver dominates with the same team, I was simply pointing out that it matters to others. Red Bull provided Vettel with the equipment that made his four year run possible, I think a little pay back to help the team recover from one bad year would have been good for Vettel and the team rather than walking away after just a single difficult year.

Agreed Olivier but he could very well run out of time also. Alonso has just lost five years and with the disarray at Ferrari Vettel could well find himself in the same position. My bet is McLaren will start stringing wins together long before Ferrari, the question is will it be enough to beat Mercedes and will Vettel be prepared to wait for the situation to improve. I should be a great watch for everyone.
 
A comment I made in an earlier posting that may have got lost in the discussion on changing teams etc. is the ability of Alonso to adapt to changing technology. He has driven through huge changes seamlessly during his career and never lost the ability to win. Even after Ferraris protests and the loss of the mass damper which transformed the Renault from a very good car to an ordinary car at best, Alonso was able to dig deep and drive around the problems he had and defend his title against Schumacher.
The big question for me is can Vettel adapt to changing regulations and help Ferrari turn their fortunes around. So far Vettel has struggled with changing technology so it will be a big ask. The changes to the aero regs have taken away the planted rear end that Vettel exploited so effectively but so far he's been struggling without it. Comparing the two drivers, it's Vettels struggles with a car that doesn't suit him that set them apart.
 
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