Ferrari has unveiled a tweaked livery for its home race, the Formula 1 Italian Grand Prix at the historic Monza circuit with a subtle carbon addition to the SF-24’s usual look.
The Scuderia has made a habit in recent years of launching special liveries for the Tifosi to enjoy.
This year the team introduced blue accents and historic matching blue overalls at the Miami Grand Prix and the Ferrari SF-23 had a touch of white sprinkled into its design at Las Vegas last year.
The Italian marque also introduced yellow race suits and team overalls, with matching yellow accents and numbers on its traditional red livery for last year’s race at Monza.
With this year’s Italian GP fast approaching, Ferrari has made the smallest of tweaks to its current livery, replacing the white numbers that identify Sainz and Leclerc’s respective machines with carbon numbers.
In addition, Leclerc and Sainz will wear black race overalls and team wear which up close mimic the woven patterns of carbon fibre panelling.
Race helmets too will get the carbon treatment.
“During the Italian Grand Prix weekend at Monza, Scuderia Ferrari HP, along with some of its partners will celebrate a material that is state of the art when it comes to building racing cars, namely carbon fibre,” the Italian team wrote in a press release.
“Its main virtues are light weight and strength, which have allowed the sport to make great progress in terms of safety.
“To mark the occasion, instead of the usual white background with a yellow border, the numbers 16 and 55 on the SF-24s will replicate the look of carbon with its woven texture and natural reflections.
“In addition, the drivers’ race suits, helmets, shoes and glasses will also reflect the carbon fibre theme.”
Carbon fibre is the elite composite material used in Formula 1 car construction.
In 1981, then-McLaren Technical Director John Barnard pioneered the MP4/1, the car made famous by being the first to employ a full carbon fibre monocoque chassis.
Ferrari first used the technology a year later and in the decades since, carbon fibre has woven its way into all corners of the sport.
In the last few seasons, teams often sport a predominantly carbon-liveried car in a bid to save crucial grams.
It is classic Ferrari then, that its carbon ‘tribute’ has less carbon on it than most teams’ usual liveries in the Scuderia’s continued bid to promote its scarlet red brand.
Albon falls apart when there is competition like when he was at Red Bull. It is sad how far Williams have sunk vs. the glory days with Nigel and the partial season that Senna drove.
Let’s call this the Miami Effect: Scuderia Ferrari HP decides that they’re gonna drop a blue design but they hype it first, only to have a ‘splash of blue’ at best. Nothing has changed for Monza except that the drivers were seen in their black/yellow suits and merch but yet the car stays Maranello Red and the only change is black numbers. No one who’s not read this will notice. A missed opportunity for sure.