Ferrari reveals burgundy livery for 1000th GP

Ferrari has painted its cars in a burgundy livery for this weekend’s Tuscan Grand Prix, which will mark the team’s 1000th championship Formula One race.

The team says the darker tone of red is a “faithful reproduction” of the colour used on the Ferrari 125 F1 that raced at the 1950 Monaco Grand Prix 70 years ago.

The rest of the livery remains the same as the one used so far this year, with the exception of the style of number on the car, which has been designed to look hand painted. A yellow “1000” sticker has also been added to the engine cover and the drivers will wear burgundy race suits to match the car.

Ferrari plans to mark the milestone race with celebrations in nearby Florence on Saturday night as well as a demonstration run of Michael Schumacher’s championship-winning F2004 car at the circuit on Sunday, with son Mick at the wheel.

Ferrari owns the Mugello circuit where the Tuscan Grand Prix is taking place and has made arrangements for 2,880 fans to attend, which will make it the first F1 race open to the public this year.

Ferrari is the only team that has competed in all 71 Formula One seasons, racking up 238 victories — more than any other team in F1 history — in that time.

“Scuderia Ferrari’s 1000th Grand Prix is a very important milestone, therefore it had to be marked in a special way,” Pierro Ferrari, the son of founder Enzo, said. “That’s why we decided to run a unique livery on the cars for this event, with the SF1000s taking to the track at the Mugello Circuit in the Burgundy colour first seen on the 125 S, the first racing car to carry the Ferrari name.

“Even the look of the race numbers on Charles’ and Sebastian’s cars will reflect the tradition of the past, giving the impression of being hand painted onto the bodywork, while the drivers’ race suits will also match the car colour.

“It’s a tribute to our origins: to our starting point for the amazing Ferrari story, characterised by an endless desire to compete, alongside the will to build road cars that are exceptional in terms of technology and design.

“Ferrari is unique in the world, because the company has the soul of a car manufacturer and of a racing team, an inseparable link that is never questioned. Only a few months ago, no one could have imagined that our thousandth race could take place at our own Mugello circuit. I am pleased that in the Grand Prix official name, Formula 1 chose to pay tribute to Ferrari, the only team that has always been present in the sport’s seventy one year history.”

As a nod to Ferrari’s milestone race, the Formula One Safety Car, which is an adapted Mercedes AMG GTR road car, will also be painted red this weekend.