Ferrari F1 driver Charles Leclerc may have recently added some culinary skills to his repertoire, but he truly cooked up a classic when he got behind the wheel of the 1967 ‘Spaghetti’ 312 F1
Maranello, summer 2022 – Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc is particularly partial to pasta, especially spaghetti. In fact, a few years back he learned to cook it Carbonara-style.
Last season, in one of the team’s popular C2 Challenges, he cooked up the famous recipe, except that he swapped spaghetti for a shorter type of pasta, thus handing the win to team-mate Carlos Sainz, who was judged to have prepared the best dish.
Watch as Ferrari Formula One ace Charles Leclerc tears around the Fiorano track in the fully-rebuilt 312 F1
A few weeks ago in Fiorano, Italy, spaghetti was again on the menu, but this time instead of cooking it, Leclerc was driving it, powering round the track at the wheel of Ferrari’s 1967 Formula 1 car, the 312 F1, which went by the nickname of “Spaghetti.”
This was down to its convoluted exhaust system that resembled Italy’s most famous dish. In fact, the pipes that protruded over the top of the V60°, 48 valve, 410 hp engine took the pasta analogy even further, as they were painted white, looking just like a tangle of spaghetti.
Incidentally, the Fiorano track is just a few years younger than the car, as the Ferrari-owned venue was officially opened 50 years ago in 1972.
Although the 312 F1 only won a few races, it is certainly notable for being the first F1 car to have a rear wing
The car was raced from 1966 to 1969, during which time it only picked up three wins, despite being driven by such greats as Ludovico Scarfiotti, Lorenzo Bandini, Andrea De Adamich, Chris Amon, Jacky Ickx, Derek Bell and John Surtees.
And yet, the very same car that Charles drove played an important role in the evolution of the Maranello marque and indeed of Formula 1 as a whole, as it was the first F1 car to be fitted with a rear wing.
The current owner of the car asked the Ferrari Classiche department to completely rebuild it to its original specification, including its Tipo 242C engine, so that he could compete in historic races. When the work was completed, the department called on Leclerc to carry out the shake-down.
Leclerc loved his time driving the 312 F1, declaring that it was almost 'like a different sport' to racing in his current Formula One car.
Charles is becoming something of an expert on historic Ferraris, having driven several of them, including the 1951 375 F1, the 1975 312 T and, from 1979, the 312 T4.
It is a task he never tires of. “I am very happy to have had this opportunity,” said Charles. “Going from my current F1-75 to this 312 F1 is like switching to a whole different sport, although the excitement you get from driving any Ferrari is always the same. But I really enjoyed everything about this Spaghetti.”