There is something new to the Ferrari. And he did not anticipate it in his “Hellmouth” utterances Marko, now more unstoppable than a virologist, to the point of having to bring in also the Red Bull ds – and personal friend of several Ferrari fans – Jonathan Wheatley, to avoid the worst. No, the novelty of Maranello is all in the name. It was predictable and also right that the initials of the single-seater to be launched on February 17 bear a tribute to the company’s seventy-five years (not to be confused with those of the Scuderia, which are 93). But what is really striking is the return to that small letter-digit group, the “f-one”, which precedes the number. The history of the Ferrari acronyms, as we know, is not exactly linear. It would seem that the lack of imagination sometimes found in other sectors has its counterpart in the variety of naming criteria. There have been sensational cases, such as the 150th anniversary – horrendous name, but Stefano Domenicali cared – which recalled the anniversary (2011) of the Unification of Italy. But that was hastily introduced, replacing the planned F150, to avoid disputes with Ford, which already had a pickup of that name on the line. There are neglected names, such as the F1-90 of Alain Prost’s quasi-world championship, which has always coexisted with the other acronym, 641 F1, indicating the project number. But in recent years, the “eff” that has always, or almost always, distinguished racing single-seaters, had been preceded by an “S”. And that letter has a story. A story that now ends.
It was the last days of 2014 and Sergio Marchionne was approaching Ferrari and Formula One with the gentle approach of a privateer who has just spotted a convoy of Spanish galleons. An energetic and revolutionary instinct, which went from the regulations (“They seem written by four drunks at the bar”) to the organizational structure of the GeS of Maranello. I arrive Arrivabene – discounted punishment – to replace the Mattiacci meteor; greeted Alonso, Nick Tombazis and Pat Fry, who had given – especially the latter – a decidedly vertical imprint on the work processes of engineers. After all James Allison, in force for a year, he had not returned there by chance. Then, in January, the time came to define the name of the car destined for the world championship. A process that, at least in Ferrari, is always quite complex and involves several people, only to then leave everything to the final decision of the Presidency. Sergio Marchionne wanted, here too, a break with the past. The last car of the Montezemolo era was the wretched F14T. Far from repeating the successes of the almost homonymous two-seater fighter of “Top Gun”, it had managed to remedy only a couple of podiums thanks to Fernando. With the new president the abbreviation “SF” was born. Where the first letter stood for “Scuderia”. The idea of the Marchionne-Arrivabene management was to recall the sense of the collective, the participation of the whole team in the definition and implementation of the project. It took another year for the turbo ‘T’ to disappear, in favor of the Hybrid’s H. Curious fact, because at least at the beginning Marchionne was not exactly a fan of the new propulsion: and indeed he had spread rumors, in the F1 Commission, of a possible return to refueling in the race and to simple, large multi-fractionated and single-turbo engines.
Certainly there was the fact that Sergio Marchionne wanted to change Ferrari by giving it his very personal imprint. On the occasion of the seventy years of the company’s foundation, in 2017, a colleague at the time came to let off steam with me. It seemed to him that the Ferrari tradition, as president, mattered little or nothing: almost as if Marchionne wanted to superimpose his own image on that of the founder. Personal opinion, that of my former colleague, which I respect as any personal opinion. But even without wanting to do conspiracy, for those who know the environment of Maranello, the change of abbreviation cannot fail to mean something. As if, after three and a half years, the management of John Elkann wanted to definitively cut the umbilical cord with the one that preceded it. The different is already the fact that the initials are communicated so far in advance of the presentation, while a few years ago it was the fifth secret of Fatima (and the first of Pulcinella). Of course, in that F1, there is also a reference to a rather glorious past. There is probably a wink to the structure headed by Domenicali, a great friend of various top figures of today’s Cavallino. The rest is tradition, superstition, superstition. The one who then, based on seasonal results, will judge whether the new acronym was a good omen or brought mange. After all, we are always Italians.
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