Ferrari has prepared a very special tribute to Michael Schumacher during the Italian Formula 1 Grand Prix in Monza. Three decades after the arrival of the German driver at the team, the Italian team will remember his legacy with a series of activities and a special decoration on its monoplaces.
The Ferrari SF-26s that will drive Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton over the weekend will be inspired by the F310, the monoplace that Schumacher used during his first season dressed in red in 1996.
The celebration will also feature other emblematic cars from the trajectory of the seven-time world champion and with drivers who shared track or team with him.
A legacy that reaches into the heart of Ferrari ?? pic.twitter.com/SDagaHNhBY
For the Grand Prix of Italy, Ferrari will temporarily modify the appearance of its current cars to pay tribute to one of the most important drivers in the history of the team.
Leclerc and Hamilton’s SF-26s will retain Ferrari’s traditional red, but will incorporate white and black details inspired by the F310 that Schumacher drove in 1996.
One of the most striking elements will be on the tyres, which will have a golden detail as a reference to the magnesium components used at that time.
The monoplaces will also carry the Schumacher logo and a special design on the hill inspired by one of the German’s last helmets, with seven stars on a red background.
The decoration will connect the current Ferrari with one of the moments that marked the beginning of the successful relationship between Schumacher and the Italian team.
Our Monza livery is here, inspired by the lasting impact of Michael Schumacher on our team ?? pic.twitter.com/MWGlJi4miv
The award will not be limited to the cars that will compete this weekend.
Ferrari will bring Monza three monoplaces that represent different moments of Schumacher’s race with the scout: the 1996 F310, the 2002 F2 and the 2006 248 F1.
The 2002 F will have a special significance, as it was the monoplace with which Schumacher conquered the 2002 Formula 1 World Cup.
The presence of these vehicles will allow you to review different stages of the German’s career with Ferrari, from his arrival at the team to the last years of a partnership that ended up becoming one of the most successful in Formula 1.
The SF-26: Monza edition pic.twitter.com/PlBj40zZCw
The tribute to Schumacher will have activity inside the track.
On Saturday, Rubens Barrichello, who was the German’s companion for five seasons at Ferrari, will take the F2002 to a show in Monza.
The Brazilian shared team with Schumacher between 2000 and 2004, a period in which Ferrari dominated much of the Formula 1.
Sebastian Vettel, the four-time world champion, will make a tribute round on Sunday before the start of the Italian Grand Prix.
The participation of both drivers will add another special component to a weekend dedicated to recalling Schumacher’s trajectory.
The Italian circuit occupies an important place in Schumacher’s trajectory.
He won five wins in Monza in 1996, 1998, 2000, 2003 and 2006.
His first triumph in the Italian track came precisely in his first season with Ferrari, when he managed to impose himself on the fans of the scooter that would later become his home for more than a decade.
Schumacher is also the driver with the most Ferrari world titles in Formula 1, after winning five consecutive championships with the team between 2000 and 2004.
That dominance made his stage at Ferrari one of the most successful partnerships between driver and scooter in the category.
The event will continue beyond the Monza circuit.
The Ferrari Museum in Maranello will dedicate a special exhibition to Schumacher between September 4 and 30.
Visitors will be able to see the five monoplaces with which Schumacher won his world titles between 2000 and 2004, as well as trophies and various objects related to the German driver.
In this way, Ferrari will take advantage of the anniversary of Schumacher’s arrival at the team to remember a stage that transformed the relationship between the driver and the Italian fans.
Thirty years after that first year with the F310, Michael Schumacher will return to occupy a central place in Monza, this time through the monoplaces that Ferrari prepared especially to remember his legacy.
