Scuderia Ferrari unveil their one-off livery and team kit in Miami

On the eve of the Miami Grand Prix, Scuderia Ferrari have unveiled their one-off blue livery that will adorn Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz's SF-24 this weekend.

Ferrari will race this weekend with a fresh identity and a one-off colour scheme. The Scuderia have recently confirmed the arrival of HP with the American IT giant set to operate as the Italian team's title sponsor. The Maranello-based squad will compete under the name of Scuderia Ferrari HP.

The partnership will extend globally beyond Formula 1 and on the racing side it also includes the car that Maya Weug races in Ferrari colours in the F1 Academy, the all-female driver series, including her Scuderia Ferrari Driver Academy colleague, Aurelia Nobels. In fact, the HP partnership also includes support for Maranello’s young driver programme, established in 2009, as well as its Esports team.

Moreover, Ferrari will race with a new colour scheme this weekend with two colours from the past, Azzurro La Plata and Azzurro Dino returning for this weekend only. The splashes of colour will be used on the wings, the engine cover, the halo, the rear-view mirrors, the race numbers and, in a nod to the past, on the wheel rims, as was the case back in the Sixties, starting with the 158 F1 with which John Surtees clinched the world championship title in North America, sixty years ago.

The Miami livery also evokes memories of the single-seaters and sports cars entered by the American Ferrari importer, Luigi Chinetti, under the N.A.R.T. (North American Racing Team) banner, including the aforementioned blue and white 158 F1 driven by Surtees and red Ferraris with dark blue stripes. In fact, blue also featured on the various Ferraris entered in sports cars races in the Sixties by the British importer, Maranello Concessionaires.

In 1952, Ascari tackled the Indianapolis 500 Miles in a Ferrari 375 Special, built specifically for the race, with a blue nose section. In the Sixties, Surtees, Lorenzo Bandini, Ludovico Scarfiotti and Chris Amon all wore blue suits, as did Niki Lauda in his first year with the Scuderia. The mechanics and the factory staff also had blue overalls, in keeping with the stereotype of the “blue collar” worker, as opposed to the “white collar” office staff and management.

The other Ferrari colour making a comeback in Miami is Azzurro Dino, a much brighter blue that found favour with several Scuderia drivers, most notably Arturo Merzario and Clay Regazzoni. The latter was the last driver to wear a race suit in this colour, in 1974, and gradually, shirts and mechanics overalls also took on this tone, before becoming the norm from the Seventies to the early Eighties. As from 1975, various shades of red became the dominant colour on the drivers’ race suits, with splashes of white, reflecting, as from 1973, sponsorship from Philip Morris International, an agreement still in place today.

In Miami, the usual red colour gives way to Azzurro La Plata for the drivers for the whole weekend, while the majority of the team will wear kit in that colour on Sunday only. Those mechanics involved in the pit stops, who therefore need to wear fireproof suits in accordance with the regulations, will be decked out in Azzurro Dino.

Team Principal Fred Vasseur commented: "The upcoming Miami Grand Prix will be one to remember in the history of our team, as in Florida we will be celebrating our heritage through a unique livery, rediscovering two colours that are part of our history. It will also be a very special race as we are glad to welcome the arrival of our new title partner HP.

"Scuderia Ferrari and HP share many values, including a winning mentality and a clear line of thought that forms the basis of our partnership. Our two companies always strive for excellence and embrace technological innovation, key elements in achieving our respective goals.

"Like us, HP believes in the importance of ensuring that everyone in its organisation can give of their best, as that’s the only way to get great results. In addition, we believe in the need to nurture talent, teaching and empowering people as exemplified by our Driver Academy. With so many things in common, we believe that HP’s title partnership will greatly benefit both marques and I can’t wait for us to start working together from this weekend."