Once the engine is completed, two robots connect the Ferraris’ valve mechanics – this is the only part of the process not done by hand. A single cycle, from sketch to finished car takes seven weeks, however there’s an average of at least two development cycles using clay modelling, with the option of redefining individual parts in line with the various engineering phases. It’s part of a process of simplification but it’s one that connects the driver to the machine as intelligently as possible. Last year Leclerc started season with two wins from the first three races, but by the sixth round in Spain Max Verstappen had taken the lead and then never let it go. It's a significant step up for Vasseur, but the Frenchman said the same rules of running an F1 team apply.

Indicators, lights and wipers are now controlled by switchgear on the wheel (as of the 458 Italia), but the 296 GTB advances the set-up that first appeared on the Ferrari Roma and uses touch-sensitive thumb pads on the wheel spars. The doors are only attached to a completed car body once it has reached the end of the production line. Remember, there’s also the option of specifying a wheel with in-set LEDs on the top that light up red-to-blue as the car reels in its red line rev limiter.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.

Jon Nicholson is a highly respected Fl photographer who worked with Damon Hill during his reign as world racing champion.Beneath that meeting point is a new-for-the-Purosangue feature, which introduces a physical touchpoint in a set-up that relies mostly on digitalisation and haptics.

The chapter on the car has some interesting photos inside the pit garage and many close-up shots of the car bodywork and the mechanics. The first stage involves building a frame from metal (and sometimes wood components) on which the clay is applied and worked. This is where the engine, transmission and suspension systems are mounted on to the cars’ underbodies.But then, over the years, they realized that I was focused because I was in the factory day and night with the team, and I was really putting in all the effort. Stefano Domenicali, former Ferrari F1 team principal, now CEO of Formula 1, said: “Every time there is an occasion to celebrate at the factory or a moment to share, it is experienced not only with the racing team, but also with the other side of the company on the GT side, because Ferrari is all one company, and it is very important to share these kinds of things. Each car frame (this is a 488 Spider) is held by an individual mechanical lift, made from steel hooks. You can feel the motivation and the atmosphere around the team and it is a massive push for everyone. Another car in this much-loved series, 2004’s F430, was the first to introduce the manettino, a steering wheel-mounted rotary switch that gives the driver instant control over the car’s chassis settings.

Sainz lost out on a toss of a coin to decide which of the two Ferrari drivers would hit the track first, but benefitted from knowing the car had behaved itself with teammate Charles Leclerc behind the wheel before him.

Hätte der 1988 verstorbene Firmengründer Enzo Ferrari die Rennsiege der vergangenen zehn Jahre mitverfolgen können, es wäre ihm ein Wohlgefallen gewesen ! Ferrari’s V8 engines are assembled separately to V12s – the latter are more complex and require additional human attention, so get their own line.