Ferrari to ditch famous all-red F1 car for bold new look at Miami Grand Prix

Ferrari famously race in red, but that hasn’t always been the case throughout the Italian carmaker’s history – and a rare change is being made for the upcoming F1 Miami Grand Prix

Ferrari will race with two shades of BLUE on their Formula 1 car at the Miami Grand Prix.

The Italian team’s cars are instantly recognisable on track thanks to their famous red paint jobs. But drivers Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz will get behind the wheel of more unfamiliar-looking machines when they arrive in Florida.

The SF-24 will feature two different shades of blue – the first being a lighter colour close to that used on the Argentina national flag. It is a nod to Alberto Ascari, who wore blue on his helmet and race suit as he became Ferrari’s first F1 champion in the 1950s.

The second is a darker shade that has also featured on one of its legendary past drivers. Clay Regazzoni was the last racer to use the shade, Azzurro Dino before Ferrari’s drivers switched to wearing mostly red race suits.

The bold change is part of Ferrari’s celebration of its historic breakthrough into the American marketplace. The Italians raced in white and blue cars for the final two races of the 1964 season to mark that important moment in the brand’s history.

Other legendary drivers to have worn blue while representing the team include Briton John Surtees, the 1964 world champion, and New Zealander Chris Amon. Future triple title-winner Niki Lauda also donned the colour in his first season with the team, in 1974.

Leclerc and Sainz will add their names to that list when they take to the track centred upon the Hard Rock Stadium next month. While the special one-off car livery is being kept under wraps for now, Ferrari have already shared images of their drivers wearing blue uniforms on social media.

But the new-look car won’t be seen until it is unveiled in Miami at the start of the race weekend. And it will mark the second time in as many seasons that the team has competed at a US race with a special paint job to mark the occasion.

At last November’s Las Vegas Grand Prix, Ferrari added more white to its cars in another nod to the team’s illustrious history. The Italians said it was a nod to F1’s first “golden age” in the USA which coincided with some of its most successful periods in the sport.

It was the second of two one-off livery changes made by Ferrari last year – the first was at the team’s home race at Monza, which saw more yellow added to the car. Ferrari’s 1000th F1 race, the 2020 Tuscan Grand Prix at Mugello, saw the team run with a darker shade of red to mark the occasion.