2021

After a difficult 2020 season for Ferrari, something shifted at Maranello, with clear progress in the Drivers’ standings and, above all, the Manufacturers’ ranking.

The team began the season with a new face at the wheel. Charles Leclerc gained a Scuderia teammate, Spaniard Carlos Sainz, who replaced Sebastian Vettel. The latter was not retained and then signed for Aston Martin.

The new driver pairing had the single-seater SF21 at their disposal. The new car featured an amaranth-coloured livery, recalling the hues of Ferrari’s first car, the 125 S, produced in 1947. The same colour featured in last season’s Mugello Grand Prix, where Ferrari celebrated its 1,000th Formula 1 race.

Although 2021 was challenging for Scuderia Ferrari, it took several steps forward from the previous year. The payoff was a third-place finish in the Manufacturers’ standings, a return to the podium that boosted the entire team’s morale and augured well for the future.

This result came courtesy of an impressive comeback against McLaren, assisted by the new engine adopted at the Sochi Grand Prix in Russia, the basis of what fans saw in 2022. Giving it an early debut yielded valuable and highly promising track data.

With a little more luck and focus, the season’s achievements could have been quite different. Charles Leclerc was the undisputed star, with the Monegasque twice coming close to the top step of the podium. At Monte Carlo, an accident in qualifying forced his withdrawal from the race, and at Silverstone, Lewis Hamilton only caught him at the finish. However, the two pole positions remain. For his part, Carlos Sainz performed very convincingly. The Spaniard collected the most points, with four podiums, and adapted immediately to the characteristics of the SF21, proving to be a tough competitor for his teammate even in the first part of the season. A strong finish earned him fifth place in the Drivers’ standings.

These were very positive signs ahead of the coming season. Leclerc’s form at the beginning of the year and Sainz’s at the end of the season meant anything was possible.