Ferrari ‘to reveal two-tone livery’ for SF21?

Jon Wilde
Charles Leclerc in special-liveried Ferrari at 2020 Tuscan Grand Prix

Charles Leclerc in special-liveried Ferrari at 2020 Tuscan Grand Prix

Ferrari’s SF21 is set to be revealed with a distinctive two-tone red and burgundy livery, according to a report from Italy.

The Scuderia are preparing for their 2021 season launch in two parts, the first of which is on Friday February 26, but the understanding is the initial presentation will focus on people – most notably new driver Carlos Sainz – rather than the car.

The SF21 is due to be shown to the world for the first time in Bahrain on Wednesday March 10, two days before the start of pre-season testing.

When that happens, the Ferrari is likely to look markedly different from last year – and the team will also hope there is a fundamental change in the car’s performance too, in being much more competitive! They finished a poor sixth in last year’s World Championship.

Formu1a.uno report that along with a new engine for which Ferrari have high hopes, there will also be an upgraded gearbox and redesigned suspension attachments on which the two permitted development tokens were spent.

But unlike other teams such as Red Bull and McLaren whose cars will bear an uncanny resemblance to last year’s, the Italian giants are poised to try and banish the image of the SF1000 from our minds – and probably theirs – with some cosmetic changes.

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The report from Formu1a.uno says that “after the questionable orange-red of the SF90 [2019 car] and the red that was more faithful to the tradition of the SF1000, the new SF21 will have a double shade of tone while remaining opaque and with a red that will become, from the bottom up, tending to a darker red similar to GP Mugello 1000”.

The last reference is to the one-off livery the Ferrari cars carried at last year’s Tuscan Grand Prix, to commemorate their 1,000th Formula 1 World Championship race.

It was a much darker burgundy shade as they went back to their roots in a nod to the designs used in the 1950s.

In announcing that livery at the time, Ferrari vice-chairman Pietro Ferrari said: “The SF1000s will take to the track at the Mugello circuit in the burgundy colour first seen on the 125S, the first racing car to carry the Ferrari name.

“It’s a tribute to our origins: to our starting point for the amazing Ferrari story.”

The starting point for the SF21 in terms of track time is expected to be a shakedown test/filming day with a maximum of 100km running at Bahrain on Thursday March 11, the day in between the car’s launch and the start of pre-season testing for Sainz and Charles Leclerc.

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