Ferrari: History, Heartbreak, and the Weight of Red

Next in our 2026 pre-season deep dive series, Formula Fools tackles the team that is Formula 1: Scuderia Ferrari.

This is not just a race team — it’s a national symbol, a religion, and a pressure cooker unlike anything else in motorsport.

David and Skin rewind all the way back to 1929, when Enzo Ferrari founded Scuderia Ferrari as a racing operation long before it became a car manufacturer. From Ferrari’s very first F1 win in 1951, to Alberto Ascari’s early dominance, the team quickly established itself as the emotional heart of the sport.

We chart Ferrari’s defining eras: the Lauda-led resurgence of the 1970s, the crushing 21-year Drivers’ Championship drought that followed 1979, and the arrival of Michael Schumacher, Jean Todt, and Ross Brawn — a trio that delivered Ferrari’s modern golden age and rewrote the record books in the early 2000s.

Then comes the pain. 2008 marks Ferrari’s last Constructors’ Championship. Since then? Near misses, chaos, heartbreak, and the unique pressure that only Ferrari can generate — from the media, the tifosi, and the weight of their own history.

Now, in 2026, Ferrari stand at another crossroads. Charles Leclerc remains the soul of the team, while Lewis Hamilton arrives in Maranello in one of the biggest signings the sport has ever seen. Under Fred Vasseur, Ferrari aren’t defending a dynasty — they’re trying to wake a sleeping giant.

This episode breaks down Ferrari’s greatest moments, their most painful losses, and the brutal truth at the core of the team:

At Ferrari, potential is never enough.

Only championships matter.

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