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Ferrari is one of the most prestigious teams on the F1 grid, being around since the inception of the sport. It is the most successful constructor in the history of the sport, with as many as 237 wins to its name.
Throughout its rich history, the Italian squad has sprung a surprise or two that has forced the entire grid to take notice sometimes for the right and sometimes for the wrong reasons. In this piece, we'll take a look at 3 times the team surprised everyone during pre-season testing.
#1 2004 F1 season (Ferrari F2004)
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The 2004 F1 season's challenger is notorious for being considered one of the most dominant machinery ever in the history of the sport. While it might sound like a surprise, the car, on first evidence, was so good that it surprised Ferrari itself.
The team scraped through its teeth to win the title in 2003 and had both McLaren and Williams hot on their heels. When the new challenger for the 2004 season took to the track for the first time, however, everyone on the grid (including the Italian squad) was shocked by the impressive turn of pace. So much so that the team felt there was something that needed a relook. It was only after multiple checks and simulations that the team realized how far ahead the new Ferrari challenger was as compared to the rest of the grid.
#2 1989 F1 season (Ferrari 640)
The Italian squad has been a beacon of innovation in F1 over the years. A glowing example was the 1989 season where the Italian team stumped everyone on the grid with a semi-automatic gearbox. Although in contemporary times, a semi-automatic gearbox is a norm, in 1989 that was not the case.
The F1 car was fitted with a manual transmission gearbox at the time, just like any normal road car. The 1989 challenger was the first to introduce a semi-automatic gearbox that provided a seamless gear shift.
The car would win its very first race in Brazil and usher in a new era where each team on the grid would adopt the seamless gearbox for their challengers in the coming years.
#3 F1 2014 season ( Ferrari F14 T)
Not all of the team's challengers have led to adulation. There are others that have almost led to ridicule up and down the grid. One of the more recent ones was the challenger in 2014. The team was a perennial front-runner the previous year. Stepping into the new season, it was expected that a works team like Ferrari with the resources it has at its disposal would be able to take another step forward and challenge for the title.
The Italian squad's interpretation of the 2014 regulations, however, left a lot to be desired. Coming into the pre-season test with a nose that resembled a vacuum cleaner and an engine that sounded ill at best, it did give rise to suggestions that the Italian squad might not have the best of the seasons.
Even during the pre-season test, it became clear that the team had missed the mark as the car was all over the place and the drivers struggled massively in trying to control it.
