Ferrari celebrates 800th Formula 1 GP in Turkey

The Turkish Grand Prix is a landmark event in the history of Scuderia Ferrari. The race at Istanbul Park will be the eight hundredth Formula 1 World Championship Grand Prix in which the team from Maranello has taken part.

Ferrari is the only team to have competed in every season at this the highest level of motor sport and it also holds all the records: Drivers’ titles (15,) Constructors’ (16,) wins (211,) podium finishes (632: apart from the wins, it has 223 second places and 198 thirds,) pole positions (203) and fastest race laps (221.)

“Eight hundred Formula 1 Grands Prix represents a milestone in the life of Ferrari, which fills us with satisfaction and pride,” commented Ferrari President Luca di Montezemolo. “Today, I want to share our delight in this achievement with all the drivers who have driven our cars in the World Championship and with our fans. It is nice to look back and see what we have done together, aware that we are part of a story that is without equal and is ongoing.

“Personally, I am proud to have been part of this journey for so many years now,” continued Montezemolo. First as Sporting Director (1973-1976) and then as President (since 1991,) Luca di Montezemolo has been involved in 359 of the 799 chapters of Ferrari’s history in Formula 1, in which time the team won a total of 17 World titles (7 Drivers’ and 10 Constructors’) and 123 Grands Prix.

Other records held by Scuderia Ferrari and the men who drove for it are: Constructors’ Championship points (4229.5,) consecutive wins (14, 1952-1953,) one-two finishes (80,) victories in one season (15, 2002 and 2004,) wins in one season per driver (13, Schumacher 2004,) consecutive wins for a driver (9, Ascari 1952-1953,) consecutive podium finishes per driver (19, Schumacher 2001-2002,) one-two finishes for a driver pairing (24, Schumacher-Barrichello 2000-2005,) consecutive points finishes per driver (24, Schumacher 2001-2003.)

Schumacher: "At Ferrari I understood what it is to be part of a legend"

“When you are part of a community for fourteen years it inevitably has an effect on you. I will always have a part of Ferrari inside me; a part of my heart will always be red. The Scuderia has a really special way of going about its business and it is quite right to speak of itself as a family – a family that I have long felt part of. The time I spent with Ferrari was wonderful, I made friends and had experiences that I would not want to be without. Concepts that I had never contemplated before my time at Ferrari came to life for me there: legend, culture and history. All of that meant nothing to me before I joined the team; I had never concerned myself with it or even known about it. Once I experienced at first hand the significance that Ferrari has for Italy and the tifosi, only then did I grasp that these concepts were well justified. That they originate in a passion for engines and cars, both among those who build them, as well as among those who admire them. I am certainly not a man prone to lyrical expressions, but I now fully understand this passion – my greatest passion is racing, and in that we, myself and Ferrari, are very much the same."

Raikkonen: “Three unforgettable years together”

I will never forget the three years I spent at Ferrari. At the wheel of a car from Maranello, I managed to realise my dream as a driver, which was to win the Formula 1 World Championship title, but it’s not just because of the results that I will never forget this experience. It was a very intense time, a mix of indescribable happiness and some difficult moments: throughout it all, we were always united, as befits a real team.

I took nine wins with Ferrari and three of them stand out. The first was in Melbourne, in 2007, because I could not ask for more than to start my career with the Reds in this way. Then there was the last one at Spa last year, because winning in those circumstances, with a car that was not as good as that of the opposition, was a real morale booster for the team, which was going through a particularly complicated time. Then, there was the victory in Sao Paolo, which brought me the world title and no other words are needed to explain why that race is special for me.

My character and how I express myself is very different to the Italian way, but that did not stop us from understanding each other and the emotions we shared. I gave my maximum effort over those three years and I got so much in return and even if, in the end, we went our separate ways, I will always have some really nice memories.”

Lauda: “Enzo Ferrari and Luca di Montezemolo, two extraordinary men”

“Ferrari was and is my great love in the world of motor sport. My on track career is indelibly linked to the Reds and to two men, Enzo Ferrari and Luca di Montezemolo. Racing for the Founder was a unique experience because he was an incredible man, with amazing charisma. When we were together at Ferrari, Luca and I were practically the same age so it was natural that we should become friends: we had so much in common, including the curiosity to look beyond our world. Over the years we stayed close, even when our lives took different paths, so that when, in 1992, he asked me to give him a hand in understanding the state of the Scuderia, I accepted without a moment’s hesitation. There was no one better than him to carry on Enzo’s legacy. One of the races I remember most clearly was the 1975 Italian Grand Prix. My team-mate Clay Regazzoni won and I was third, behind Fittipaldi and that result was enough for me to win the world championship for the first time. Taking the title at Monza, in front of a sea of ecstatic fans was an indescribable experience, one which will stay with me for the rest of my life.”