One thing that strikes me about this extraordinary place, so completely stuffed with past achievement and future potential, is how modestly its founder displays its many facets. I’m moved to remark on the fact: “You don’t boast much, Mark, do you?” He glances at me as if I’ve lost my marbles and replies: “What would be the point of that? On the last lap Pironi blasted past and took the flag, leaving Villeneuve with no time to respond. After the race he was adamant that he had been robbed, and swore that he would not talk to his teammate again. Around the same time, Max Verstappen—the sport’s intermittently humorless world champion three years running, who’s already been declared the champion a third time after a dominating 2023 season—called the Vegas race “99% show, 1% sporting event.”

Initially a little daunting, it’s all intuitive once you’ve familiarised yourself with the control logic. And safer, according to its designers. Ferrari says this is all part of its ‘eyes on the road, hands on the steering wheel’ philosophy, and has conducted biometric tests to provide empirical proof that there’s reduced driver distraction.Despite some incredulity at Ferrari’s insistence that the Purosangue is not an SUV, having driven it we know what the company is getting at; Maranello’s first production four-door four-seater may tip the scales at more than 2.3 tons and genuinely fit four adults plus luggage, but from behind the wheel it feels like a significantly lighter, more agile machine. And the Old Man loved him very much for it, because he thought that was exactly what he wanted to hear. He wanted to know. In the front, the seats are comfortable and there’s a heavily sculpted dashboard with touches that retain a familiar Ferrari feel, including a steering wheel heavy on buttons and drive-mode selectors. Ergonomics are improved over the Ferrari Roma and 296, so it’s easier to scroll through a reduced number of screens. Sat-nav is by smartphone link only.

On the plus side that Burmester 3D stereo is outstanding. It’s the first collaboration with Ferrari for the German audio company, and features 21 speakers with a total output of 1,420w, 400w of which are dedicated to the subwoofer alone. It also features things called ribbon tweeters, which involve a strip of foil between two magnets, rather than a traditional cone, and don’t distort the sound at high frequencies — apparently. Then there’s the mould production process. Today the sand moulds are made by machine, but it is intricate human skill that ensures perfect productions every time: once made (a process that involves blasting the sand with sulphur dioxide to strengthen it), a machinist works over each mould, marking defects, and cleaning burrs by hand. A mistake here could mean a component defect, deep within an engine at a later date, so attention to detail at this stage is crucial.This system is from the 599XX, the experimental car unveiled at this year’s Geneva show, and works when the car is in Race mode. Dan Stevens Vasseur has ruled out an overhaul of the team before the first race, opting to take time to understand Ferrari's shortcomings before he makes changes. Speaking on Tuesday, he said the priority over the winter had been on fixing last year's engine reliability issues, which not only resulted in race retirements but also forced the team to turn down the performance of its engine to reduce the risk of a failure. The disappointment of finishing a distant second in the championship led to the resignation of team principal Mattia Binotto last December and he was replaced by former Alfa Romeo boss Fred Vasseur in early January. It's a significant step up for Vasseur, but the Frenchman said the same rules of running an F1 team apply. In the past, Ferrari officialdom has been famously snooty in its dealings with nonfranchised specialists, and even today the sides are careful about how they deal with one another. But you can definitely sense a softening of attitude on the Italian side, if only because GTO is such a handy source of beautifully remanufactured, extremely rare parts and forged front suspension pieces, for example. Ferrari Classiche buys from GTO, albeit always through a third party.

First: it wants to improve its top speed with greater aerodynamic efficiency. The drag problem derived not only from the difference in speed withDRS open, but also from the approach to aero-elasticity of certain components – where perhaps Red Bull did things much more cleverly. And this counts not only for wings but also in the overallpitchof the car when it hits top speed on the straight. Read Also: There is a short coilover spring at each corner, and these do compress under load, though Ferrari told us they’re not strictly needed during driving – they’re mainly necessary to suspend the car when parked and switched off.Postlethwaite never believed the Imola fallout between the two Ferrari drivers contributed towards what happened at Zolder and Villeneuve's death The vital statistics? Accelerating from 0-62mph takes 3.3sec and 0-124mph just 10.6sec, which is pretty sensational stuff for a car weighing 2,033kg with all the optional lightweight components, and before you even add fluids. It’ll keep pulling away all the way to its top speed of 193mph, too, which makes the Purosangue no slouch at all. Gilles had a will to win which was just incredible. He would overtake anybody in anything, all the time. He didn't care. I mean, that was the way he was, he just wouldn't let people get in his way. Lyon hopes to have a full-sized clay model at HQ by the end of this year and put series cars on sale in 2023.