Reports from the Silverstone Paddock

Rested and recharged from the summer break, 17 drivers of the Ferrari Challenge Trofeo Pirelli UK returned to the track at Silverstone to tackle the penultimate round of the season ahead of the grand finale scheduled for 15-17 September at Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium in conjunction with a round of the European series.

Aside from the main event, there was plenty of other action emerging from around the paddock. The fans, who were spoilt for choice on and off track, were able to witness heritage F1 Clienti and XX Programme cars being pushed to the limit, whilst also having the opportunity to see full spectrum of the Ferrari range, including some of the special series cars, such as the Daytona SP3. The Ferrari Challenge drivers were also joined by two special guests: 24 Hours of Le Mans winner James Calado in the Ferrari 499P number 51, who was also involved in the weekend as Race Advisor, and Nicklas Nielsen, driver of the other Hypercar, number 50, also involved in the FIA World Endurance Championship.

2024. Calado and Nielsen also attended the gala dinner organised at the Silverstone circuit, where the calendar for the next F1 Clienti and Programme XX season was unveiled.

There is always a first time. Series newcomer, Chris Smith (Graypaul, Birmingham) has been putting in the work on and off the track, which showed in his pace over the last few meetings. This weekend, he bettered his last podium place by taking a first win of the season at a track that is dear to him, finally earning his reward after continued improvements. “There’s been a lot of effort over the summer that’s gone into my fitness, which is paying dividends for me now, so it really is working” said the British driver.

First time, unfortunately, also for Paul Hogarth (Stratstone Manchester) who failed to reach the finish line in the two races at Silverstone. After a perfect start to the championship, with five consecutive victories, the representative of the Stratstone Manchester team failed to cross the finish line in both races, due to errors and accidents that also caused him to lose the lead in the Coppa Shell classification, now led by Paul Simmerson (Graypaul Birmingham) with a 4-point advantage. In the Trofeo Pirelli, on the other hand, after finishing fourth three times, Faisal Al-Faisal (HR Owen) finally managed to get on the podium, taking third place in Race 1 at Silverstone at the end of a fine comeback.

Dreaming of Daytona. With over 1000 Prancing Horses on site between clients and race teams, some of Ferrari’s rarest examples could be found in the paddock for guests to lay eyes on: no less than three Daytona SP3s, a Monza SP2 and a LaFerrari to name but a few.

SF90XX. The all-new Ferrari SF90XX Stradale, seen at Silverstone, made its first public appearance in the UK in a perfect setting. The car is a special road-legal version inspired by the XX Programme. Its performance is enhanced by 30 more horsepower than the SF90 Stradale. One of the main features, apart from its extraordinary technology, is the return of the first production fixed wing since the iconic Ferrari F50.

Welcome to the Family. Ferrari’s newest Service Technicians and Customer Service Advisors were invited to Silverstone to receive their graduation certificates to celebrate the culmination of several years’ hard work, after completing the Ferrari Apprenticeship programme. Although they are now fully qualified, their Ferrari journey has only just begun, as they will complete significant further training throughout the long career that lies ahead.