126 years after his birth, Enzo Ferrari’s legacy lives on with the Scuderia Ferrari. Here’s how the myth of the Cavallino Rampante was born.
Enzo Ferrari once said: “One day I’ll be gone. I hope that the red cars that bear my name will continue to be there and be honoured on all the circuits in the world even after me.” And even now, the Ferrari logo is one of the most famous in the world, a symbol of Italian excellence. And the crown jewel is its racing team in Formula 1, Scuderia Ferrari.
But to understand the birth of the red cars, we have to look back to Enzo Ferrari’s life.
The Drake
Ferrari was born in Modena on 18th February 1898. From childhood, he showed a great interest in cars, a passion that will leave a mark on his entire life. After the Great War, he tried to get a job at Fiat, the Italian car manufacturer. He was however unsuccessful. Instead, Ferrari started to work in different factories as a test driver until he arrived at Alfa Romeo. In the new team, he became a driver and won his first Grand Prix in 1923 in Ravenna.
He later decided to create his own team, with the aid of Alfa Romeo, simply known as Ferrari in 1929. The team welcomed many top drivers like Tazio Nuvolari and Antonio Ascari. Ferrari was among them and he continued racing until the birth of his son, Dino, in 1932.
The new team made its debut at the IV Mille Miglia in 1930 with three Alfa Romeo 6C 1750 but without any win. It was in 1939 when Enzo Ferrari said goodbye to Alfa Romeo and founded his own society, the Auto Avio Costruzioni (AAC). With it, he designed the first Ferraris. Maranello became the new home for the team.
The first Ferrari in history was the 125 S. It was built in 1947 and displayed at the Museo Enzo Ferrari in Modena. It was also the last car in Rosso Corsa Alfa Romeo. The 125 S debuted in Piacenza in 1947 and won its first victory at the Rome Grand Prix. And then, the myth was born.
Rosso Ferrari and Giallo Modena
Interestingly, the original colour of the Ferrari wasn’t the iconic red, it was yellow. And not just any shade of yellow, but the Giallo Modena. This colour represents the city of Modena, Enzo Ferrari’s hometown, since 1336.
For cars, things changed in the ’30s, at the beginning of Formula 1. Following the new regulations, each team had a colour based on its nationality. So, the French had the blue, the Germans had the white (then silver), the British had the green and the Italians had the red.
A racing driver, a team principal, a visionary – and above all, a dreamer. The legacy of racing excellence started with him.
126 years since Enzo Ferrari’s birth, we honour him not only as our founder but as the very origin of our racing DNA.#RememberingEnzo #Ferrari pic.twitter.com/sqHy9JPDXm
— Scuderia Ferrari (@ScuderiaFerrari) February 18, 2024
When Enzo Ferrari founded the Scuderia and created the cars with his name, the Rosso Ferrari became a signature colour. Now we can’t imagine the racing cars – and sports cars – from Maranello in any other shade.
For the logo, the stunning yellow is still there and it’s the background of the Cavallino. The choice of the horse is another homage. It was the symbol used by Major Francesco Baracca, a pilot during the Great War. Ferrari met his parents, Count Enrico Baracca and Countess Paolina, and the latter suggested he use the prancing horse as his lucky charm.
Even though the logo was restyled through the years, it stayed pretty much the same: the black Cavallino Rampante on a yellow background and the S and F for Scuderia Ferrari.
Scuderia Ferrari in Formula 1
The first GP was in Monaco in 1950 with Alberto Ascari. The official Formula 1, as we know it today, started that year. This makes Scuderia Ferrari the only team to compete in the category since its birth.
The first win came the following year when Josè Froilán González won the British Grand Prix. In 1952 the incredible Ascari won the first championship driving the Ferrari 500 F2. He won it again the following year. The Constructors’ Championship was established in 1958, but Ferrari didn’t win it until 1961 with Phil Hill. That year the American won the Drivers’ Championship as well.
125 years from Enzo Ferrari’s birth in 125 seconds.
Every journey begins with a dream. But a dream doesn’t become reality without vision, determination, and persistence. And these are the same principles that keep inspiring us at #Ferrari every day. #RememberingEnzo pic.twitter.com/ymwqCAW6g5— Scuderia Ferrari (@ScuderiaFerrari) February 18, 2023
Since its debut in F1, Scuderia Ferrari has had an astonishing amount of success. It’s the team with the most wins in the history of this sport with 15 Drivers’ Championships and 16 Constructors’ Championships. It holds different records such as most poles (242), most wins (242), most Grand Prix disputed (1052) and most podiums (798).
The Scuderia had more than 100 drivers, with 40 of them having won at least one GP, and 82 cars up until today. Michael Schumacher is the most successful Ferrari driver. With 7 Drivers’ Championships in his career, 5 of them were with Ferrari. He drove for the Italian team for 10 years, from 2000 until 2006, bringing them 72 wins.
On the Olympus of the best drivers in red, there is also Alberto Ascari and Niki Lauda, both two times World Champions. Others are Kimi Räikkönen (2007), Jody Scheckter (1979), John Surtees (1964), Phil Hill (1961), Mike Hawthorn (1958), Juan Manuel Fangio (1956).
Even 36 years after Enzo Ferrari’s death, his name is celebrated in the entire world and the red cars are the dream of every lover of Formula 1.
