Charles Leclerc, Ferrari, Maranello, 2020

Leclerc drives Ferrari’s SF1000 through Maranello

2020 F1 season

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Ferrari signalled its readiness to begin the delayed 2020 F1 season by sending Charles Leclerc on a drive through the town of Maranello in their SF1000.

Leclerc drove the team’s latest machine, which hasn’t been in action since pre-season testing ending three months ago, from the factory to their Fiorano test track this morning.

“I don’t normally like getting up early but this morning there was a great reason to do so,” said Leclerc. “Maybe it woke a few people up, but it was great to drive through the streets of Maranello in the SF1000.

His route took him along the Via Enzo Ferrari and Via Gilles Villeneuve to the circuit, a distance of just over one kilometre.

“It was exciting to get back in the car today, particularly on such a special route. Being back in the cockpit felt like coming home again. It seemed like a fun way of saying we are ready to get back on track. Now I can’t wait to drive the SF1000 in Austria.”

The Formula 1 season is due to begin at the Red Bull Ring on the first weekend in July. Some of Ferrari’s rivals, including Mercedes, Renault and Racing Point, have run events with F1 cars to gain experience of performing race weekend procedures while observing restrictions due to the pandemic.

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Keith Collantine
Lifelong motor sport fan Keith set up RaceFans in 2005 - when it was originally called F1 Fanatic. Having previously worked as a motoring...

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13 comments on “Leclerc drives Ferrari’s SF1000 through Maranello”

  1. tony mansell
    18th June 2020, 10:02

    Wow! oh to be in Maranello for that. Brilliant pic, pity theres not more round the town

  2. Gavin Campbell
    18th June 2020, 10:34

    Firstly they should launch all their cars like this – scrap doing theatres and Marlboro Snow parties. Just fire it up and drive it out the old gates!

    Also is there some wierd loophole that they are allowed to do this because they’ve used both filming days. Like are you allowed unlimited running at say sub 100 km/h or something for demo purposes? Because obvouisly they did this as a fire up test but to actually run the car along some roads etc. is an oppurtunity the other teams wont have got (even though its probably pretty useless at such low speeds)

    1. I was wondering the same thing myself

    2. Every team is allowed to use its machinery as an alarm-clock once per year :D

    3. Gavin Campbell, what do you mean by “scrap doing theatres and Marlboro Snow parties” when most teams haven’t bothered with that sort of event for years now?

      Last year, five teams held a launch event at the factory (with Toro Rosso doing it via a live stream) and three held it at the circuit before proceeding to have a shakedown test. This year, every team either held a basic launch event at their factory or just held a short press event at a circuit ahead of their first shakedown test – most launch events are now pretty functional events these days.

  3. I remember Top Gear doing a feature where the F1 cars were driving around the streets of Milton Keynes, was certainly a sight to behold.

    1. I remember that too, though not quite sure it would have had the same frisson of excitement as a Ferrari at Maranello, maybe just too many roundabouts.

  4. it’s a pity there are no more pictures. Or are there any but just not released?

  5. Lewisham Milton
    18th June 2020, 15:39

    Where was Vettel? On the bus?

    1. Jose Lopes da Silva
      18th June 2020, 17:16

      Rules state that outings like these are made by the driver with the longer contract rather than the most titles…

  6. Jack (@jackisthestig)
    18th June 2020, 18:03

    Now that’s a lot better than all that Rebecca the Florist nonsense.

    1. I luv chicken
      19th June 2020, 0:03

      I thought I was the only one who felt that crap filmed in Monaco, was bad enough to make you puke. A far cry from the original. And beyond cheesy.

  7. tony mansell
    18th June 2020, 20:15

    I was hoping for one of him parked outside a café getting a coffee. These things look ridiculously long out of context of a track. 6 metres. Nuts

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