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Ferrari

The unpredictable Ferrari F1 car names from the 21st century

With Ferrari having one of the most inconsistent car naming structures of all Formula 1 teams, we take you through the meanings of their most recent car model allocations.

Leclerc Baku
Article
To news overview © XPB

The announcement of Ferrari's car model name for 2023, the SF-23, followed a rather standard format: Scuderia Ferrari, and 2023.

However, Ferrari have had a rather scattered history with the naming of their Formula 1 cars, unlike many of the teams on the grid.

Red Bull named their first car from the 2005 season the RB1, and their 19th season in F1 will be contested by, unsurprisingly, the RB19. The only car to break away from that mould was their 2021 car, the RB16B, which was a carryover from the 2020 car, as permitted by the pandemic-affected regulations.

Another example is Haas. Their short history has featured a very neat naming structure for their cars. Their first car in 2016 was named the VF-16, and this season's car is named the VF-23. 'VF' is a nod to their first CNC machine range.

Some of Ferrari's recent names follow a historical tradition of being designated by the specification of the engine, such as the legendary 312, which was chosen because of its 3.0-litre V12.

Others are named according to landmark dates, such as Ferrari's 1000th Formula 1 Grand Prix, or 150 years since the unification of Italy.

Incidentally Ferrari tried to shorten their 2011 car name, the F150 Italia, to simply the F150, but Ford had threatened legal action owing to it being the same name as their F-150 truck.

Here's a list of Ferrari's most recent car names, and the meaning behind each one:

Recent history of Ferrari F1 car names

Season Car Name Reason
2023 SF-23 Scuderia Ferrari, 2023
2022 F1-75 Formula 1, 75 years since first Ferrari
2021 SF21 Scuderia Ferrari, 2021
2020 F1000 Scuderia Ferrari, 1000th Formula 1 Grand Prix
2019 SF90 Scuderia Ferrari, 90th anniversary of team
2018 SF71-H Scuderia Ferrari, 71 years since first Ferrari, Hybrid
2017 SF70-H Scuderia Ferrari, 70 years since first Ferrari, Hybrid
2016 SF16-H Scuderia Ferrari, 2016, Hybrid
2015 SF15-T Scuderia Ferrari, 2015, Turbo
2014 F14-T Ferrari, 2014, Turbo
2013 F138 Ferrari, 2013, final V8 season
2012 F-2012 Ferrari, 2012
2011 150 Italia 150th anniversary of unification of Italy
2010 F10 Ferrari, 2010
2009 F60 Ferrari, 60th year in Formula 1
2008 F2008 Ferrari, 2008
2007 F2007 Ferrari, 2007
2006 248 F1 2.4-litre, V8 engine, Formula 1
2005 F2005 Ferrari, 2005
2004 F2004 Ferrari, 2004
2003 F2003-GA Ferrari, 2003, Gianni Agnelli, head of Fiat who passed away
2002 F2002 Ferrari, 2002
2001 F2001 Ferrari, 2001
2000 F1-2000 Formula 1, 2000

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