Scuderia Ferrari

Ferrari founding and early history

Ferrari have a long and storied history in F1, being the sports’ oldest and most successful team.

Founded in 1929 by Enzo Ferrari, the team was initially created with the intention of entering amateur drivers in various races. The idea came to life on November 16, 1929 when Ferrari asked for financial help from textile heirs Augusto and Alfredo Caniato, along with wealthy amateur racer Mario Tadini, during a dinner in Bologna.

He then gathered a group that included over 40 drivers, most of whom raced in various Alfa Romeo 8C cars, while Ferrari himself continued racing until the the birth of his son Dino in 1932. The prancing horse blazon made its first appearance at the 1932 Spa 24 Hours on a two-car team of Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 Spiders that finished first and second.

With Alfa Romeo experiencing economic hardships the team withdrew from in-house racing, making Scuderia Ferrari the acting team when the factory released the Monoposto Tipo B racers to the Scuderia. The first car to wear the Ferrari badge came in 1925 when Enzo and Luigi Bazzi built the Alfa Romeo Bimotore. After managing numerous drivers, Alfa Romeo made Enzo the manager of the factory racing division, Alfa Corse, in 1938.

However after a disagreement Enzo left, founding the Auto Avio Costruizioni Ferrari, which also manufactured machine tools. He was allowed to leave Alfa not he condition that the Ferrari name not appear on cars for four years.

Ferrari started working on his own are car, the Tipo 815, in 1939/40 making it the first true Ferrari Cars, however World War II put a temporary hold on all racing. While Ferrari continued to manufacture machine tools, the headquarters were moved to Maranello in 1943, only to be bombed the following year.

After rebuilding the headquarters, the 12-cylinder, 1.5 L Tipo 125 was created and competed at several non-championship Grand Prix. Making its debut at the 1948 Italian Grand Prix with Raymond Sommer, the team's first win came at the Circuit di Garda with Giuseppe Farina.

Once the four-year restriction expired, the road car company Ferrari S.p.A was born while the name SEFAC (Società Per Azioni Escercizio Fabbriche Automobili e Corse) was used for the racing division.

F1 World Championship is born with Ferrari in it

The first F1 World Championship was established in 1950, with the Scuderia Ferrari taking part. To this day, the Italian outfit are the only team to have competed in every season since its inception.

Ferrari didn't take part in the first race of the championship, the British Grand Prix, due to a dispute over money paid to entrants. As a result the team debuted at the Monaco Grand Prix with the 125 F1 which featured a supercharged version of the 125 F12.

The trio of Alberto Ascari, Raymond Sommer and Gigi Villoresi were unable to stop Alfa Romeo's dominance, as they won all 11 events (six World Championship races and five non-championship). However, Ferrari ended that run in 1951 when Jose Friolan Gonzalez took the British Grand Prix ahead of Juan Manuel Fangio in the Alfa Romeo.

With Alfa Romeo withdrawing from the sport after the 1951 season, Ferrari went on to win almost every race in 1952 with the 2.0 L 4-cyl Ferrari Tipo 500 with Ascari taking the championship after winning six consecutive races. Ascari took the title again the following year.

The final race of the season saw Juan Manuel Fangio win in a Maserati, and it was a sign of things to come as the Argentine took the title the following season. Ferrari were unable to keep up with their Italian competitors and Mercedes, resulting in just two wins in 1954.

Ferrari continued to win races in the years that followed, though it wasn't until 1958 that they won another Drivers' Championship. Mike Hawthorn won in the Ferrari 246 F1 with a V6 engine named after Enzo Ferrari's recently deceased son. Hawthorn announced his retirement after the triumph, however he passed away just three months later after a road accident.

1960s success with Hill and Surtees

After Phil Hill gave Ferrari their only win in 1960, the American battled it out with teammate Wolfgang von Trips for the title the following year in the Ferrari 156 that was based on the Formula 2 car that dominated the series the year before.

Giancarlo Baghetti joined the team midseason and became the first driver to win his debut race at the French Grand Prix, however the season ended on a tragic note. Von Trips crashed at the Italian Grand Prix and was killed along with over a dozen spectators. As a result Hill won his only title, with Ferrari opting not to compete at the season finale United States GP at Watkins Glen in New York.

John Surtees and Lorenzo Bandini were joined by Pedro Rodriguez in 1964, and while the Ferrari was slower than Jim Clark's Lotus, it's superior reliability made the difference. Surtees took the title after claiming two victories, while Bandini added a third victory and finished fourth in the standings.

From there Ferrari entered into a decline as the likes of Lotus, Brabham and Matra took titles to close out the decade.

1970s and return to glory with Lauda

The 1970s started with Jacky Ickx, who rejoined the team for a second stint, battling it out with Lotus' Jochen Rindt for the title. The Belgian won three races, while Clay Regazzoni added a fourth at the Italian Grand Prix.

In the end Ickx had to settle for second in the championship as he was unable to overtake Rindt, who passed away with four races remaining during practice for the Italian Grand Prix. He became the only driver to be posthumously awarded the Drivers' Championship. Ferrari driver Pedro Rodriguez was also killed at an Interserie sports car race in Nuremberg.

The following three years saw Ferrari struggle, with the team failing to attend two races - the Dutch and German Grand Prix - in 1973, the first time the team had done so since starting in F1.

Niki Lauda was signed in 1974, while Luca di Montezemolo was appointed team principal the same year with the Scuderia's fortunes turning around. Ferrari won races in Spain, the Netherlands and Germany, but ultimately Regazzoni lost the World Championship to Emerson Fittipaldi at the final race of the season in the USA.

Mauro Forghieri designed the Ferrari 312T used in 1975, and it proved to be a winning entry. The team returned to its winning ways, with Lauda calling it "the unbelievable year". The car proved no match for the rest of the field, with the Austrian winning five races and Regazzoni adding a sixth victory. However it was Lauda who took the Drivers' Championship with ease over Fittipaldi in the McLaren.

Lauda was comfortably leading the championship in 1976 when disaster struck at the German Grand Prix in Nurburgring. The Austrian crashed his Ferrari and was enveloped in flames before being hit by two further cars. Lauda suffered serious burns and was rushed to hospital, where he fought for his life over the next few days.

While Ferrari hired Carlos Reutemann as a replacement, the team fielded three cars at the Italian Grand Prix as Lauda returned just six weeks after his accident. While the Austrian scored points at two races following his return, he voluntarily withdrew from the season-ending Japenese Grand Prix at Fuji due to heavy rain, opening the door for James Hunt to win the title by one point, though Ferrari won the Constructors' Championship for second year running.

There was no stopping Lauda in 1977 as he won three races to take his second title ahead of Jody Scheckter and Mario Andretti. However his relationship with Ferrari deteriorated from there, and Lauda left for Brabham at the end of the season.

Scheckter replaced Reutemann in 1979 and partnered Gilles Villeneuve. The two combined for six victories from 15 events, including a one-two finish at the Italian Grand Prix, with Scheckter ultimately coming out on top by four points. It was Ferrari's last Drivers' Championship for 21 years.

Early 1980's success followed by decline

Scheckter's title defence in 1980 was one to forget as Ferrari fell behind their rivals with the team scoring just eight points all season, which prompted the South African to retire at the end of the season.

The team bounced back in 1982 with the pairing of Villeneuve and Didier Pieroni, with Ferrari proving to be the best package in terms of speed and reliability for much of the year. However tragedy struck not once but twice as Villeneuve was killed during qualifying for the Belgian Grand Prix while Pieroni suffered career-ending injuries prior to the German Grand Prix, though Ferrari did manage to win the Constructors' Championship.

Another Constructors' title followed in 1983, but from there the team failed to mount a serious challenge for the Drivers' crown following Michele Alboreto's efforts in 1985.

Enzo Ferrari passed away in August 1988 at the age of 90, increasing Fiat's shares in the company to 90 percent. Gerhard Berger and Alboreto completed a famous one-two at the Italian Grand Prix less than a month after Enzo's passing, with the Austrian dedicating the win - the only one by a team other than McLaren in 1988 - to the late founder.

Ferrari brought Alain Prost in to partner Nigel Mansell for the 1990 season, and the reigning world champion entered the penultimate round of the season in Japan nine points behind rival and former McLaren teammate Ayrton Senna. A controversial collision on the first lap ended Ferrari's hopes for a world title, with Prost forced to settle for second.

Jean Alesi was brought in to replace Mansell in 1991, and Prost failed to see out the season after he was fired prior to the Australian Grand Prix after falling out with the team. Ferrari failed to win a race in 1991, a trend that continued in 1992 and 1993.

Berger was brought in to partner the Frenchman in 1993, while Jean Todt was hired as team principal - the first of several moves that would lead to the team's renaissance. Berger won the 1994 German Grand Prix, while Alesi took the 1995 Canadian Grand Prix though the team was never in championship contention either season.

Schumacher joins and writes Ferrari history

The 1996 season saw Ferrari overhaul their driver line-up with two-time defending World Champion Michael Schumacher brought in with Eddie Irvine. The German, who won both titles while with Benetton, was joined by several of the team's technical staff including technical director Ross Brawn and chief designer Rory Byrne.

While the Ferrari F310 wasn't great in terms of reliability, Schumacher managed to claim three victories in Spain, Belgium and the friendly confines of Italy - the team's first win at Monza since 1988.

The increased reliability of the F310B the following year helped Ferrari push for their first Drivers' Championship since Scheckter in 1979. Schumacher tallied five wins and eight podium finishes that season and went into the final race with a one point lead on Jacques Villeneuve. However a collision between the two as the Canadian tried to take the lead of the race saw Schumacher forced to retire. Villeneuve carried on and took the title with a third-place finish. Initially deemed a racing incident, Schumacher was disqualified from the 1997 Drivers' Championship for unsportsmanlike behaviour, though Ferrari's points remained intact, with Irvine's five podiums helping the Scuderia to second in the Constructors' Championship.

Schumacher battled it out with Mika Hakkinen for the 1998 title, winning six races including three in a row at Canada, France and Great Britain. A standout moment came at the Hungarian GP, when Brawn switched the German to a three-stop strategy to beat out Hakkinen. However the fairytale ending wasn't to be as he stated on the front row and suffered a puncture mid-race, ending his bid for the championship.

The 1999 season saw Ferrari take three of the opening four races, with Eddie Irvine taking his first career win in Australia. However things started to go wrong in Canada when Schumacher crashed into the Wall of Champions while leading the race. The German's bid for the championship ended on Lap 1 of the British Grand Prix when a rear brake failure sent him crashing heavily at Stowe. Schumacher broke his lower right leg as a result, missing the next six races with Mika Salo replacing him.

As a result Irvine stepped in to lea Ferrari's push for the title, winning the next two races in Austria and Germany. Schumacher returned for the final two races fo the season, helping the Irish driver win the inaugural Malaysian Grand Prix. Irvine led Hakkinen by four points heading into the final round, however his bid for the title fell short as Hakkinen won the race and the title by two points. However Ferrari did win the Constructors' Championship for the first time since 1983.

End of title drought kicks off historic Ferrari run

Rubens Barrichello replaced Irvine for the 2000 F1 season, and the season started well with Schumacher winning the opening three races to lead the championship by 21 points.

That lead shrunk after a string of poor results, though Barrichello took his maiden win at the German Grand Prix after starting 18th on the grid. In the end Schumacher ended Ferraris drought, becoming the Scuderia's first Drivers' Champion since Scheckter in 1979. Barrichello finished fourth in the standings, helping Ferrari claim its second consecutive Constructor's Championship.

The triumph kickstarted a historic run for the Scuderia, with Schumacher taking the 2001 title after a dominant season that saw him take nine victories and clinch the championship with four races remaining. Other highlights included the German's win in Belgium, which saw him move past Alain Prost for most victories. Although Barrichello didn't win a race, his third place finished helped the team take another Constructors' crown.

Nobody could stop Ferrari in 2002 as the team won 15 out of the 17 races, matching McLarens record number of wins set in 1988. Schumacher took 11 victories, though his win in Austria when Barrichello was asked to let him through resulted in team orders being banned ahead of the 2003 season. The German matched Fangio's record of five world titles by clinching at the French Grand Prix.

Ferrari failed to finish on the podium at the season-opening Australian Grand Prix that kicked off the 2003 season, the first time the team had done so since the 1999 European Grand Prix. While McLaren took a lead in the standings, Schumacher eventually fought back to take his sixth championship despite starting the season-ending Japanese Grand Prix in 14th and finishing eighth, moving him past Fangio. Barrichello won the event after starting from pole, securing Ferrari's 13th Constructors' Championship.

The historic run continued in 2004 with Schumacher winning 13 of the 18 races, including 12 of the first 13 of the season. The German clinched his seventh and final world title in Belgium, with the Scuderia adding another Constructors' title. Barrichello, who won two races in Italy and China, finished second.

Ferrari started the 2005 season with a modified version of the previous year's car, however the team struggled and brought forward the introduction of the F2005. The move resulted in Schumacher retiring with a hydraulics failure, the team's first mechanical failure since 2001. Coupled with the poor performance of the Bridgestone tyres, the team's lone win came at the US Grand Prix. Barrichello departed at the end of the season, with Felipe Massa his replacement.

The following season saw Ferrari challenge Fernando Alonso's Renault, with Massa claiming his first career win in Turkey and Schumacher taking the chequered flag for the final time in China. Although the German entered the final race with a chance at the title, his bid came up just short despite finishing fourth after falling all the way to the back of the grid. Massa won the race, though Ferrari ended the season five points back of Renault for top spot.

Schumacher, who announced his retirement at the Italian Grand Prix, was replaced by Kimi Raikkonen for the 2007 season.

Raikkonen adds to Ferrari's success

Raikkonen won his first race for the team in Australian, becoming the first Ferrari driver to win on his debut since Mansell in 1989. Despite entering the final season trailing McLaren duo Alonso and Lewis Hamilton, the Finn defied the odds to take victory and the world title by one point. Raikkonen ended the season with nine victories, while Massa's efforts helped the team win the Constructors' Championship as well.

While Raikkonen led the championship early on, it was Massa who battled it out with Hamilton for the 2008 title. The Brazilian entered the final race of the season in Brazil with a chance to take the championship, and although he won, the British driver took the title after passing Timo Glock on the final corner of the final lap of the season. Despite the disappointment, the Scuderia added another Constructors' title.

The 2009 campaign started out poorly, with Ferrari having their worst start since 1981. Massa missed the second half of the campaign after being hit by a detached spring from the rear suspension of Barrichello's Brawn car. He was replaced by Luca Badoer and then Giancarclo Fisichella, with the Scuderia registering their only win of the season in Belgium thanks to Raikkonen.

Close calls with Alonso and Vettel

Raikkonen was replaced by Alonso for 2010 despite the Finn having a year remaining on his contract. The Spaniard started the season strongly, leading a Ferrari one-two at the Bahrain Grand Prix and then winning in Germany, Italy, Singapore and Korea. Alonso entered the final race of the season only needing to finish in the top two to win the title, however a strategy error saw him finish seventh, handing the title to Sebastian Vettel.

Ferrari weren't competitive in 2011, winning just one race, though the team returned to form in 2012. Wins in Malaysia, Valencia and Germany helped Alonso build a 40-point lead in the standings, however several DNFs helped Vettel retake the lead. The Spaniard entered the final race 13 points back of the German, and it proved to be too much despite finishing the season-ending Brazilian Grand Prix in second.

Vettel dominated the 2013 season with Alonso once again settling for second in the standings. While the Ferrari driver registered two wins, his relationship with the team began to sour following the perception they were unable to win a title-winning car. That feeling carried over to 2014, as Mercedes burst onto the scene and Ferrari were held without a win.

Massive changes followed with Vettel replacing Alonso, while Sergio Marchionne and Maurizio Arrivabene took over as Ferrari President and Team Principal respectively. The team ended a run of 34 races without a win by taking the chequered flag in Malaysia thanks to Vettel, who also won in Hungary and Singapore.

The team took a step back the following year, failing to win a race, but bounced back in 2017 with Vettel taking the season opener in Australia. As a result the German became the first Ferrari driver to lead the championship since the 2012 Japanese Grand Prix, along with the first non-Mercedes driver to do so since Vettel led at the end of the 2013 season.

The Scuderia finished one-two in Monaco, their first such finish since 2010. A second one followed in Hungary. However a second-half slump that saw reliability issues dent Vettel's championship hopes eventually helped Hamilton take the Drivers' Championship and Mercedes the Constructors' title.

Ferrari and Vettel mounted another push for the title in 2018, however a mistake at the German Grand Prix saw him make a mistake at Turn 13 and crash into the wall. From there Hamilton didn't look back, taking his fifth title by 88 points.

While Ferrari replaced Raikkonen with young upstart Charles Leclerc prior to the 2019 season, the team was never in the running for the championship. Leclerc finished the season with two wins compared to Vettel's one as Hamilton and Mercedes once again dominated the season.

Vettel and Leclerc returned for 2020, however prior to the start of the season it was announced the German would be replaced by Carlos Sainz at the end of the campaign. It was a season to forget for the Scuderia as they finished sixth in the Constructors' Championship, their worst result since 1980. A lone bright spot came at the Tuscan Grand Prix, which marked Ferrari's 1,000 Grand Prix start as a constructor.