Now, the team is set to revive the color when it returns to American soil, with a special PUMA collection set to be worn by drivers, Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz, as well as d other team members during the race weekend.
To mark the occasion, we delved into the history of Ferrari in blue – and here’s what we found…
Sommer shines in Monaco
In 1950, Raymond Sommer became the first driver to race in F1 at the wheel of a blue Ferrari when he entered the Monaco Grand Prix with a 125. Officially entered by Scuderia Ferrari itself, the car was entrusted to the French driver, who painted it in his country’s colors, light blue, and finished fourth in his only F1 finish.
Earlier in the year, however, Argentinian Juan Manuel Fangio had already driven a blue Ferrari, not in F1 but in winter races in his country. The Ferrari 166, chassis 011F, was originally painted red on its victorious debut at the 1949 Monza Grand Prix, but was later purchased with the support of the Argentine government, repainted in the country’s racing colors, namely blue with a yellow engine cover, and raced in South America until 1952. It is now in the Argentine Automobile Museum: www.aca.org.ar/promociones/museo/catalogo/ 34.html
Returning to F1, French driver Louis Rosier began racing a Ferrari in 1952, painting it in his country’s colors of light blue and competing with his own team, Écurie Rosier. Driving first a Type 500 F2, then a 500/625, he raced until the 1954 season, competing in 17 F1 races and achieving a seventh place in the Netherlands in 1953.
Blue for the United States
In 1959, the field for the United States Grand Prix at Sebring included four Ferraris, one of which was painted blue. English drivers Tony Brooks and Cliff Allison, as well as German Wolfgang von Trips, entered cars in the traditional red color of Italy, but the Dino 246 of American Phil Hill wore the colors of his country, the blue, with a white nose. Unfortunately, he did not finish the race, clutch problems forcing him to retire on lap eight.
This was not the end of American blue and white, however, and two years later came the most famous blue Ferrari of all. At the end of the 1964 season, after a battle with the sport’s governing body over the rules, Enzo Ferrari withdrew his team from the final two races of the year and pledged never to race under the colors again. national authorities of Italy.
This was, however, a political decision and, although the official Ferrari team was absent in the United States and at the season finale in Mexico, it was represented by the “North American Racing Team” – and the team’s drivers raced in Ferraris sporting a pretty half-white, half-blue livery.
John Surtees drove this blue Ferrari and finished second in the American race, which took place at Watkins Glen, and when the season ended in Mexico, he showed up in the same colors and finished again second, thus securing the world title.
Well equipped
Although it rarely appeared on cars, in the 1950s and 1960s blue was still present in the Ferrari garage, as at that time the team’s drivers and mechanics wore blue overalls. This reflected the traditional colors of Modena, the team’s original Italian city, but it also most likely had something to do with the lack of availability of red racing suits at the time!
There is very little information about the team’s blue clothing from this era, but it is believed that the last F1 driver to wear a blue suit for Ferrari – and correct us if our dive into history hasn’t not revealed any secrets – was Didier Pironi, in 1982.
Give thanks to History
Inspired by this rare but rich heritage of Ferrari in blue, PUMA and Ferrari will create a limited edition collection for the Miami Grand Prix that harks back to these legendary light blue azzurro suits.
The return of classic blue tones promises to revive the spirit of history, with key pieces such as the city jacket, team polo and Speedcat Pro racing boots, as well as exclusive accessories. This collection is designed for the new generation of Ferrari fans, to revive memories of the past.
Drivers Leclerc and Sainz, as well as the entire team, will wear pieces from this collection during the Miami weekend, thus perpetuating the azzurro heritage – and you too, since the PUMA x Scuderia Ferrari Miami Limited collection Edition is now available in select PUMA stores, Scuderia Ferrari points of sale, as well as on puma.com and ferrari.com.
