F1-75

Back in 1999-2001 I had the privilege (and the sheer fun) of being responsible for the digital media presence of the Ferrari Formula One team, encompassing the Schumacher broken leg season which almost resulted in Eddy Irvine pipping the German to the Scuderia's first drivers' championship since Jody Scheckter in '79. 

There was as yet nothing like the social media of today, so this online activity and associated offline support was centred on what was then a sophisticated web platform funded by key sponsor Shell International. 

The Internet Archive's Way Back Machine still hosts it in fragmentary and largely textual form, but the real thing was packed with desirable media. 

The annual launch was a major event for the tifosi. Every year we managed the website from 1995 my colleague Simon and then I would receive an email from the patrons of a small bar in Maranello — Ferrari's hometown — expressing their thanks. Not just congratulations, gratitude. 

This year Ferrari has revealed a car adapted to the significant shift in technical regulations that carries the designation — the F1-75 — which commemorates the 75th anniversary of Ferrari's first production car, though it is their 68th in the sport. Relative to the rest of the field it is unconventional, and it is gorgeous. 

I can't remember the last time I concluded that a race-car was a thing of undeniable beauty. I believe it was one of Mika Häkkinen's McLarens during my tenure at his key rivals. 

But this single-seater is cinematic. 

Ferrari has been a little off the pace on the racetrack for the past couple of years. I guess they may not even care if the F1-75 runs like a Reliant Robin at the first GP of the new season in Bahrain next month.

 

The uniqueness of Scuderia Ferrari is twofold. Firstly it is essentially the only Formula One team that is indispensable to the sport. Secondly it is a team that is supported in Italy primarily, but also elsewhere, no matter which pair of drivers are seated in the cars. 

The 2022 Merc, reverting to the more familiar and less woke silver livery, and the green Aston Martin are also easy on the eye, but the F1-75 is on another level entirely. 

I have a little model of the car in which Schumi went straight on at Stowe corner on lap one at Silverstone in 1999 after a loss of pressure in the F399's rear braking circuit.  It's not so lovely.IAt the time i was seated just behind the massed ranks of the bussed in Jordan VIPs and they all cheered the shunt, but clearly felt a bit sheepish almost immediately afterwards when its seriousness became apparent. 

Scotland's David Coulthard — V refers to him as 'necky', though in that characteristic he was later surpassed by Alonso — won the race that day in one of these markedly jorobado vehicles. 

There are Macbooks I considered nifty twenty years ago that now look like bricks. But every decade or so F1 seems to produce an archetypal implementation for the ages.  

F312B (1970)