Why is Ferrari called the Prancing Horse? The Italian brand's iconic name explored

Ferrari is one of the most recognizable brands in the world and arguably the most famous car manufacturer on the planet. The Italian team have made a name for themselves for their fast red road cars and also for achieving glory in the world of motorsport.

One of its most eye-catching features is the prancing horse on the front of the car, which serves as a logo for the team. Interestingly, the logo was not always associated with the team and was a good luck charm for the team's founder, Enzo Ferrari.

While racing, the Italian once met the parents of the famed World War One pilot Francesco Baracca whose plane donned a prancing horse on its fuselage. They asked him to put the stallion on his cars for good luck. Enzo Ferrari accepted and added a yellow backing, a color symbolic of Maranello, to create his emblem.

The lucky charm worked with the two cars entered coming first and second at the 1932 Spa GP.

“I have absolutely no doubt about the motivation of Charles" - Ferrari team boss

Ferrari team principal Frederic Vaaseur stated that he has no doubt over Charles Leclerc's motivation for the 2023 season amidst his dismal start to the season.

Speaking to F1.com, he said:

“I have absolutely no doubt about the motivation of Charles. For sure, the start of the season is not ideal at all. We had a DNF in Bahrain, then the penalty in Jeddah, and the DNF in Melbourne – it was not at all the plan. But the motivation is still there. You know that I have a good relationship with Charles, and this won’t affect my mood."

"When you are jumping on Charles or Carlos or any other drivers in the TV pen 30 seconds after the race, for sure they can’t be happy, and I would be very frustrated if they were relaxed and happy with the situation.

Vaaseur continued:

“But the most important [thing] for me is to keep everybody motivated, pushing in the same direction, and they [the drivers] are supporting the team. Motivation is not an issue at all. Just that the mood of the team is incredibly good for the level of result that we have."

"I think everybody is very motivated and very focused, the drivers are very supportive of us. The mood in the team is more than good."

Heading into the European swing, it will be interesting to see if Charles Leclerc can bounce back and challenge the front runners more often.