Ferrari Is Diving Into The World Of Boat Racing

2023 was a mixed year for Ferrari’s motorsport efforts. Undoubtedly it peaked at Le Mans, with its new 499P Hypercar taking top honours on its debut at the 24-hour race. On the flip side, its F1 team took just one win all season thanks to the all-conquering Red Bull and the inevitability that is Max Verstappen. Keen for 2024 to be full of positives, it's entering a new form of racing - and one we never expected.

The manufacturer has announced it will compete in the world of sailing, and it sounds like it's building its own boat to do so, too. Information is scarce at the moment, but it has said "The search for maximum performance at sea will generate innovations and concrete solutions for sustainability that, in line with Ferrari’s tradition, will be an important stimulus in the evolution of its sports cars". Amphibious 296 GTB when?

It has brought Giovanni Soldini, one of Italy's most renowned ocean navigators, on-board as team principal. He said: “I am thrilled to start this new adventure with Ferrari. We are working on an important and cutting-edge project with an amazing technological potential that brings together different worlds and skills of the highest level. Working with an exceptional team in the research and development of innovative solutions that are respectful of our environment is a truly unique experience.”

A mysterious teaser video simply titled “A new Ferrari story” had emerged, with the description “We are taking the race where we never have before” and a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it appearance of what appears to be the keel of a racing yacht.

To get to that point, you’ll have to cut through some cringe PR fluff and shots of DNA strands because you know, Ferrari’s “racing DNA has surged through everything” it does. We’ll give them a mark for stating it has its “sights fixed on new horizons” as we see the horizon over an ocean emerge.

It won’t be the first time a car manufacturer had a crack at switching to the seas. Lexus revealed the Y650 back in 2019 as a 65-foot luxury yacht rather than any racing effort, although it seemingly never made it into production.

Ferrari itself actually has a tiny bit of history with boats too, supplying a Tipo V12 for the Arno XI which set a world speed record for 800kg-class hydroplanes in 1952. There’s a nugget for pub trivia talk.