Ferrari in Formula 1

FUNDATION: 1950

DEBUT: Monaco's GP, 1950
HEADQUARTERS: Maranello (Italia)
TEAM'S DIRECTOR: Stefano Domenical

Ferrari's history is very closed to the history of F1, since its origins, Ferrari has been the oldest and most awarded scuderia since 1950.

Scuderia Ferrari is the known name of sports division (Gestione Sportiva) of Ferrari automoviles, it is encharged of the F1 races.

The first scuderia participation was in 1950's Monaco GP, with the 125 F1, driven by Alberto Ascari, he was second, auguring a good relationship between the team and the podium.

Ferrari is the only scuderia that has participated in all the F1 World Championships. The argentinian Jose Froilan González, was the first pilot to win the first victory in this category, in the Silverstone GP in 1951, driving the 375 F1.

The firsts F1 seasons marked the beginnig of the succes for Enzo Ferrari's team with his pilots Alberto Ascari, José Froilán González or the legendary Juan Manuel Fangio. Those yeears were marked by the competiton between the Maranellos with Alfa Romeo or Maserati. The pilots world championsip tittles of 1.952, 1.953 y 1.956 were for Ferrari.

In 1.958, they won the tittle again thanks to Mike Hawthorn, to repeat the total sucess in 1961 with Phill Hill. That was also the year when the team suffered a tragedy with the failure of its pilot Wolfgang von Tips in an accident where also died 12 spectators in the Italian GP.

John Surtees was the nex pilot to win the tittle for the Scuderia list of winners. The nexts years the new technician changes provoqued some inestability that preventes new awards.

Thanks to Niki Lauda,the victory in the Pilots World Championship returned to the team in 1974, and a terrible Lauda's accident didn't allow to get it again in 1975. This tittle returned for Lauda and the team in 1977, and in 1979 who got the tittle was Jody Scheckter.

In 1982 they had to face the Gilles Villeneuve death in a car accident during a trainning session. In the 80's Ferrari got some triumphs as Scuderia. But in 1988 the team had to face Enzo's death when he was 90 years. Without a dubt this were years of transition for the scuderia.

1990 was a historic year because of the duel between Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna, wich won the Brasilenian pilot.

In 1996 Michael Schumacher arrived and in that same year was about the get his first wolrd tittle, but the team had to waited until 2000 season to see Schumacher won his first World tittle in the F1 with Ferrari and made the team won the first homologue tittle for Constructors. As Schumacher as Jean Todt were promotors af a great change in the team that made it got pilot's world championship in 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004. From 1999 to 2004 all the constructors awards were for the Italian team.

In 2007 and 2008 Kimi Raikkonen and Felipe Massa got the constructors tittle and Kimi got his first world tittle too.

Ferrari's beginnings

Any car's brand has provoqued so much fanatism than Ferrari. It has a history full of adventures, disputes and problems. But it is impossible to understand the history of the "Cavallino Rampante" if we don't know a little bit of itss creator, Enzo Ferrari.

"Il Commendatore", as he was called, worked on races since 1919. Alfa Romeo realized his habilities and hired him in 1929 to fix its cars. There is where his history started, fixing Alfa Romeo cars on december 1st, 1929.

The repair shop was stablished in a Modena's garage, but because of its demand they had to move to a biggest building in the city. Even though Ferrari was the sport part of Alfa Romeo, it got own personality and attracting legendary pilots as Nuvolari in the early 30's. But the superiority of German cars as Mercedes or Auto Union, forced Ferrari to turn the team's way to get more money. In 1937, the 80% had to be sold to his company Alfa Romeo.

The braking point between Ferrari and Alfa Romeo was in 1938 when the second one decided to create its own sports line "Alfa Corse", the new part was formed by Enzo's mechanics. In this point, the garage in Módena was closed and they moved to Milán to work in the new project, there, Enzo had some problems with his new bosses and definetely quit from Alfa Romeo. But a clause in his contract prohibited him to use his name in car fabrication for the next four years.

In this way he founded "Auto Avio Costruzioni". Enzo's resentment with Alfa Romeo grew after the succes of the 158 (Alfetta), models of his own creation.

In 1943 the Industry desentralization law started working, so Auto Avio Costruzioni Industry had to move 16km to a little town called Maranello.

Once the Wold War II ended, Ferrari was able to build cars with his own name. In 1947 the 125 was built. Even though the firsts sports results were sponsored, the sales didn't help the brand because the cars were still handmade. Since 1951 Ferrari entered in the era of serie produccion with the 250, stabilizing its weak economy. One year before in 1950, it enteres in a new racing categorie, the F1.

F1!

My blog is going to take a different way. As part of my journalism class I had to choose a topic to write about all semester long, so as I love Formula 1, I decided to write about the history of the Scuderias. I hope you to enjoy reading a little bit of them and the parts I like the most of each one.

Thanks!!!