Scuderia Ferrari was founded in 1929 to enter amateur drivers in races, initially using cars produced by Alfa Romeo. Enzo Ferrari himself had raced for Costruzioni Meccaniche Nazionali and Alfa Romeo before establishing the team, soliciting financial help from textile heirs Augusto and Alfredo Caniato and racer Mario Tadini. The team initially peaked with over forty drivers racing Alfa Romeo 8C cars. The prancing horse logo first appeared at the 1932 Spa 24 Hours in Belgium, on a two-car team of Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 Spiders which finished first and second.
In 1933, following economic difficulties at Alfa Romeo, the Scuderia Ferrari became the acting racing team of Alfa Romeo, utilizing the Monoposto Tipo B racers. In 1935, Ferrari built the Alfa Romeo Bimotore, the first car to bear the Ferrari badge. Throughout the 1930s, Ferrari managed established drivers like Tazio Nuvolari and Giuseppe Campari, alongside promising rookies, from its headquarters in Modena, Italy. In 1938, Alfa Romeo brought racing operations in-house, leading to Enzo Ferrari’s dismissal.
Following his dismissal from Alfa Romeo in 1939, Enzo Ferrari founded Auto Avio Costruzioni Ferrari, initially focusing on machine tool manufacturing due to a four-year restriction on using the Ferrari name on cars. The first true Ferrari cars, the Tipo 815, were built in 1939-1940, designed by Alberto Massimino, but their competition debut was delayed by World War II. After the war, Ferrari rebuilt its facilities and constructed the 12-cylinder, 1.5 L Tipo 125, debuting it at the 1948 Italian Grand Prix with Raymond Sommer and achieving its first win at the Circuito di Garda with Giuseppe Farina.
The 1950s and 1960s saw Ferrari dominate sports car racing, winning the World Sportscar Championship twelve times, the Mille Miglia eight times, and the 24 Hours of Le Mans nine times. This period established Ferrari as a dual threat in both Formula One and endurance racing. The 1999-2004 seasons marked the most successful period in the team’s Formula One history, with Michael Schumacher winning five consecutive Drivers’ Championships and 72 Grands Prix for the team, alongside six consecutive Constructors’ Championships.
The 1982 San Marino Grand Prix saw a contentious moment between Ferrari drivers Gilles Villeneuve and Didier Pironi. Following a pre-race agreement, the leading driver was expected to take the win, but Pironi passed Villeneuve despite a “slow” signal from the team, leading to a bitter feud. This is often considered a contributing factor to Villeneuve’s fatal accident at the following race, the 1982 Belgian Grand Prix.
At the 2002 Austrian Grand Prix, Rubens Barrichello was instructed to allow teammate Michael Schumacher to pass him for the lead, a move widely criticised by fans and the FIA. This incident, along with others involving team orders, led to a ban on such practices in Formula One starting in 2003, though the ban was later lifted for the 2011 season.
Enzo Ferrari died on August 14, 1988, at the age of 90. His death marked the end of an era for the team he had founded.
Ferrari cars have traditionally been painted in red, known as rosso corsa, the national racing colour of Italy. An exception occurred at the 1964 United States and Mexican Grand Prix, where the cars were entered by the NART team in white with blue stripes as a protest against Italian racing authorities.
Beyond Formula One, Ferrari has enjoyed considerable success in sports car racing, winning the FIA World Endurance Championship twelve times. The team also supplies engines to other teams, having previously provided power units to Minardi, Sauber, Red Bull Racing, and others. For the 2026 season, Ferrari will supply engines to Haas and Cadillac.
Ferrari has been recognised as the most successful team in Formula One history, holding records for Constructors’ Championships (16) and Drivers’ Championships (15). The team’s headquarters and test track, the Fiorano Circuit, remain in Maranello, Italy, where Enzo Ferrari moved the team in 1943.
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