Ferrari

The name itself is synonymous with Formula 1, instilling visions of a fiery scarlet machine pounding the track! No other team has been as successful, or as consistent in the history of Formula 1. With drivers like Michael Schumacher, Niki Lauda and Gerhard Berger having driven for the team, the accolades were only a testimony of the racing prowess that the team possessed.

The Tipo 815. That was what Ferrari's first car was called. But since it was in the non-competition period and also due to World War II, it saw little competition. A far cry from the flaming scarlet, F2007 that ardent fans have come to revere.

The Ferrari's sterling saga began, albeit humbly, when Enzo Ferrari (18-02-1898) had to forcibly leave school to manage the family's foundry after the death of his father and brother. The business didn't do well and Enzo was forced to work as a metalworker at the Modena Fire Brigade workshop.

His first brush with motor racing was as a test driver in 1918, in Turin. Ferrari then moved onto Costruzioni Maccaniche Nazionali in Milan as a racing driver. His first real race was at the Parma-Berceto in 1919. From then, on to the Targa Florio that same year.

Enzo then founded the Scuderia Ferrari which literally meant the 'Ferrari Stable'. Scuderia basically sponsored and trained the Alfa Romeo team. Later he was officially hired by Alfa but when he learned that they were trying to take over Scuderia, he quit.

Ferrari then moved his factory in 1943 to Maranello where it still stands. The first ever road car, the 125 S was built here in 1947 and was powered by a 1.5-liter V-12 engine. Enzo's cars pretty soon gained fame and loads of fans for their excellent performances.

It was only after World War II that the Ferrari Team first appeared at the European Grand Prix. Luigi Chinetti drove the model 166 M in the 24 Hours Le Mans to victory. Chinetti was to later become a Ferrari dealer for the Americas and helped establish the brand there with the North American Racing Team. A void for quality fast cars soon set sales soaring and this ably funded Ferrari's foray and sustenance into motor racing.

It was Jose Froilan Gonzalez who gave the Ferrari, in 1951, their first ever win at the British Grand Prix. There was no looking back now. Just a year later, Alberto Ascari got home the Drivers Championships.

Here is something, in a manner of speaking, downright scary. Or if you will, absolutely and truly awesome: Upto 2005, the team has 14 World Drivers Championship titles (1952, 1953, 1956, 1958, 1961, 1964, 1975, 1977, 1979, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003 and 2004), 14 World Constructors Championships (1961, 1964, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1979, 1982, 1983, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003 and 2004), 179 GP victories, a little over 3445 points and all of 544 podiums. Add to this 174 pole positions besides lap timing records for 180 races in 1622 GP's it has contested. This is an absolutely incredible record of statistics we have here.

The Ferrari team however was not without controversy. Cigarette brand Marlboro was continuing to sponsor the scarlet car and this was looked upon with distaste more so, since most F1 teams were signatories to a ban on sponsorship from tobacco companies.

Some Ferrari odds and ends:

- The by now famous symbol of the Ferrari racing team, the Prancing Black Horse on a yellow background in the shape of a shield, has the letters S F at the bottom within the border of the shield. The letters stand for Scuderia Ferrari. On the top of the shield, are the Italian colours - green, white and red.

- The distinct scarlet/red colour of the present-day Ferrari's is a legend from the 1920s. Many racing cars of that era like Alfa Romeo, Maserati and later Ferrari all sported the distinct colour (Rosso Corsa) which was the traditional racing colour of Italy. Ferrari has also raced in the white and blue colours.

- The team's numerous and ardent worldwide (and Italian) fans have come to be known as 'tifosi' (something like the 'Barmy Army').

- 'Scuderia Ferrari' is figuratively translated as 'Team Ferrari'. It is pronounced 'skoo deh REE ah'.

- In 2005, students from four universities were asked to design the next vehicle for Ferrari in a competition called 'Ferrari Concepts of the Myth'. Winners had to show a one-fourth scaled model to the board of Ferrari. Three winners chosen were offered an opportunity to work at the Ferrari design studio in Maranello.

- As of 2007, Ferrari's ownership break-up is: 85 per cent by Fiat, five per cent by Mabadala while Enzo's son, Piero owns 10 per cent. - Enzo Ferrari passed away in Modena on August 14, 1988.

Some of Ferrari's notable drivers are:

Tazio Nuvolari, Juan Manuel Fangio, Luigi Chinetti, Alberto Ascari, Wolfgang von Trips, Phil Hill, Olivier Gendebien, Mike Hawthorn, Peter Collins, John Surtees, Jacky Ickx, Mario Andretti, Niki Lauda, Carlos Reutemann, Jody Scheckter, Gilles Villeneuve, Didier Pironi, Michele Alboreto, Gerhard Berger, Nigel Mansell, Alain Prost, Jean Alesi, Rubens Barrichello, Michael Schumacher, Kimi Raikkonen and Felipe Massa.

Recent History

Ever since Michael Schumacher retired, Ferrari has had a tough time. It isn't always easy to replace a five-time champion and replicate his chemistry with the fire and passion for the sport. But in Kimi Raikkonen, they had someone qualified to replicate the success. Unfortunately, the Iceman delivered only once. And he was nowhere close to his best in 2008. Although he was always close on the heels of the McLaren and his team-mate Massa, Kimi lacked the drive of 2007 when he won his maiden title.

For 2009, Felipe Massa was a safe bet to win the title, but the first GP of the season turned out to be a let down for the team as both, Massa and Kimi failed to finish the race. For the first time since 1981, Ferrari finished the third GP of the season without a single point in the kitty. The F60 was not doing well, underperforming in comparison to the then pack leaders, Brawn GP and Red Bull Racing. Ferrari introduced new aerodynamics package in the Spanish GP, but the team really could not get flying! The prancing horses appeared restrained, looking dangerously like Scottish ponies tottering along the racetrack, competing with the big boys. Seldom did the team show real pace, only managing to bag six podiums with a win for Kimi Raikkonen in Belgium. The worst hit for the team was the crash involving Massa in the Hungarian GP which ended his season right away. As soon as the reports confirmed that Massa wouldn't be able to race, speculations that Michael Schumacher would step into the car for the rest of the season started flying around.

The buzz died down as soon as Ferrari test driver Luca Badoer stepped into the race seat. Luca looked rusty, possibly due to the ban on testing during the race season. Ferrari decided to replace him with Force India driver Giancarlo Fisichella by the time the season rolled into Italy. The Tifosi had much less to cheer about, with both the drivers on the grid looking worn out and the cars visibly out of league.

The season ended with Kimi finishing sixth in the Drivers Championship and Ferrari finishing in fourth position, one point behind McLaren Mercedes. Well, with the season wrapped up, Ferrari had a lot to look forward to in the 2010 season. After signing Fernando Alonso to partner Massa on the grid, Ferrari has probably brewed a pretty explosive Molotov cocktail! The duo was always at loggerheads, but in the pre-season press meets and events, they have appeared to have buried the hatchet. The new jockey brought to the stable a whole cartload of aggression, energy and pure determination. The two-time world champion is no stranger to hard racing, controversies, pure guts and some really stunning magic on the track! The 2010 season after its first race success, suddenly died down to pitiable levels. But by mid season, the team was done losing. The world saw a rejuvenated Ferrari that even Red Bull struggled to keep up with. And if it weren't for Sebastian Vettel's last minute burst of brilliance, winning the Brazilian and Abu Dhabi Grands Prix.

Having lost the Championship by a few points, Fernando Alonso is back with a vengeance to claim the title in 2011 and with Massa desperate to prove he still has the fight in him, Ferrari has two potential champions eyeing the championship. With a car that can take them the distance, Ferrari is all set to become the legend it once was.