Inside Ferrari: Unique Behind-the-Scenes Photography of the World's Greatest Motor Racing Team

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Gilles had a will to win which was just incredible. He would overtake anybody in anything, all the time. He didn't care. I mean, that was the way he was, he just wouldn't let people get in his way. The brakes are pretty sensational in the dry but extraordinary on those low grip surfaces. Ferrari’s ABSevo braking system, with brake-by-wire technology, is available for the first time on a model designed for use on snow and ice and it manages not just to keep the car pointing in the right direction under hard braking but also scrubs off tremendous amounts of speed. Kevin Maher, Times (UK): "[A] handsomely made, competently performed but ultimately quite empty drama from the veteran film-maker Michael Mann." The wheel also contains the engine start button and the button for the suspension damper settings, which will operate in a similar way to the current 430 Scuderia. The manettino - the red switch on the right of the wheel - is also from the Scuderia, with that car’s five options Stefano Domenicali, Former Ferrari F1 team principal, now CEO of Formula 1, said: “Every time there is an occasion to celebrate at the factory or a moment to share, it is experienced not only with the racing team, but also with the other side of the company on the GT side, because Ferrari is all one company, and it is very important to share these kinds of things. Everyone feels that, under the F1 brand, they are seen as a team that is recognized worldwide. The company takes that responsibility seriously – of being seen as a model for Italian industry all around the world.

Combined with the V12 and its oodles of torque it’s easy to provoke oversteer out of tight corners but as mentioned above, power distribution is natural and progressive, making this car far more fun to drive than it has any right to be. We loved the Aston Martin DBX707 when we drove it, but there’s an extra level of finesse to the Purosangue’s handling. It's difficult now to remember your emotions at the time. Funnily enough, I remember the day of the Pironi accident more than the day of the Villeneuve accident, because the Pironi accident seemed so silly.”After the Wednesday night opening ceremony festivities, which featured everyone from Kylie Minogue and Andra Day to John Legend and Keith Urban, along with all the drivers gathered together, Verstappen had already said: “For me, you can skip this… We are just standing up there, looking like a clown.” Twenty-four hours later, he’d step into his car in a racing suit designed in homage to Vegas-era Elvis. However, parts is a global business these days, explains Lyon. The Ferrari factory isn’t interested in making components for Colombo V12s any more, so GTO makes them instead. It can build you an entirely new engine, using new casting and ancillary components made in the UK and just like new. After injury ended his F1 career, Pironi moved into powerboat racing but died in an accident in 1987

Remember, there’s also the option of specifying a wheel with in-set LEDs on the top that light up red-to-blue as the car reels in its red line rev limiter. Another haptic button, positioned on the left-hand side of the dashboard, adjusts the door mirrors. Traditional door handles are no longer part of the Ferrari interior landscape, exit now done by pushing a discreet button. They shared a language, and they shared a lot of other things. I think that they were both excellent drivers, and they were both very, very competitive. It was a great tragedy that both of them got killed in accidents.”

And whether or not you buy into the idea that it’s not an SUV, a lot has been done to ensure that despite its raised ground clearance there’s still something of the Berlinetta about Ferrari’s first four-door four-seater. The vital statistics? Accelerating from 0-62mph takes 3.3sec and 0-124mph just 10.6sec, which is pretty sensational stuff for a car weighing 2,033kg with all the optional lightweight components, and before you even add fluids. It’ll keep pulling away all the way to its top speed of 193mph, too, which makes the Purosangue no slouch at all. The cabin in our test car was dark in colour but didn’t feel gloomy, and lighter upholstery is available. Ferrari has made more of an effort to use sustainable and recycled materials in the Purosangue, including the introduction of a new type of Alcantara, produced in collaboration with the Italian textile company, that uses certified recycled Polyester. So owners can boast of their unquestionable environmental credentials. Postlethwaite never believed the Imola fallout between the two Ferrari drivers contributed towards what happened at Zolder and Villeneuve's death Despite its prodigious performance, we never felt intimidated by the Purosangue. Through towns and villages our car, fitted with Michelin Pilot Alpin 5 winter tyres (it said “Alpin 5 SUV” on the sidewall but that can’t be right, surely?), was graceful and controllable, while on twisty mountain roads you can play with the throttle and manettino settings without becoming overwhelmed or nearing the limits of your talent.

First, there’s the sheer heat involved. The melting furnaces are only turned off twice a year for maintenance; for every other working day of the year, they operate at an average running temperature of over 700°C, enough to keep 2000 kilograms of alloy in a liquid state. Of course, as soon as the alloy is transferred out into ladles it immediately begins to cool again, meaning work is fast and precise. Like all Ferraris, it’s highly consumptive and expensive, but it feels true to the brand – and that's not something you can say of many cars like this. Now, that was a way I suppose he probably had of pushing himself to the limit. But he was certainly rather brighter and rather less of a madman than people have made out. I mean, the image has probably grown with the passing time, but actually, I always found him very serious, and really quite a bright guy.Despite some incredulity at Ferrari’s insistence that the Purosangue is not an SUV, having driven it we know what the company is getting at; Maranello’s first production four-door four-seater may tip the scales at more than 2.3 tons and genuinely fit four adults plus luggage, but from behind the wheel it feels like a significantly lighter, more agile machine. So yes, the Purosangue (meaning “thoroughbred”) is higher off the ground than any Ferrari that has come before, and has space for four adults plus luggage, but thanks to state-of-the-art suspension and a naturally-aspirated V12 engine it’s designed to be something altogether different from anything else on the road. I think the priority for everybody is reliability because when you are at this stage of the season and you don't have the reliability, you are not able to do the three days [testing] and then you are starting on the wrong foot," Vasseur said. "Based on the data from the dyno we are all optimistic, but only Bahrain will tell us where we are in terms of reliability and performance. So far it is OK.

What also works well, and is rather neat, is the way the climate control dial rises out of the centre of the dash with a single touch, and then can be twisted to adjust the temperature. Further touches allow adjustment of fan speed and direction, along with seat heating and ventilation. Engine, performance and 0-62mph time A strong start to the season is one thing, but maintaining that performance across the whole year has been Ferrari's weakness ever since it last won a title in 2008. Despite the victory drought, the team's goal has not changed in the past 15 years and there was no shying away from the ultimate target of winning the title again this year. Around the same time, Max Verstappen—the sport’s intermittently humorless world champion three years running, who’s already been declared the champion a third time after a dominating 2023 season—called the Vegas race “99% show, 1% sporting event.” Enzo Ferrari considered the engine to be the heart of a car, and a V12 engine has always been the beating heart of Ferrari, so using the 812 Superfast-derived 6.5-litre unit (albeit with a bespoke intake and exhaust, with optimised cylinder heads and timing) in the Purosangue marries the marque’s thoroughbred tradition to a modern, arguably necessary, bodystyle.

A (not-so) secret new girlfriend, outed at last

One thing that strikes me about this extraordinary place, so completely stuffed with past achievement and future potential, is how modestly its founder displays its many facets. I’m moved to remark on the fact: “You don’t boast much, Mark, do you?” He glances at me as if I’ve lost my marbles and replies: “What would be the point of that? Using a naturally-aspirated V12, with no electrification to be seen, is an interesting choice by Ferrari. One could see it as two fingers up to the environmentalists, but from Ferrari’s point of view it is what truly makes the Purosangue stand out from its competition.