Pista di Fiorano

The ironclad rule of exclusivity: having been designated as an experimental circuit, Fiorano was never permitted to host a race. To this day, the rule remains: only one car at a time. That is why there is only a single parking space in the pit lane. This isolation allows the engineers to analyse every nuance of the aerodynamics and every rumble of the engine in a controlled silence.

Standing in the middle of the tarmac is what is probably the most famous house in motorsport, the emotional heart of Fiorano. Enzo Ferrari used this house not only as an office, but also as a viewing box. It is said that he often sat by the window and analysed the sound of the prototypes even before he had seen the data. Today, the red shutters and the red door symbolise the company founder’s unceasing watch over his life’s work.

Exam nerves in Maranello: for the Scuderia’s drivers, Fiorano was always more than just a test track; it was the place where the truth first came to light, long before the season began. On the 1,339-metre-long straight and in the tight bends of the ‘Gasometer’ hairpin, it was often decided as early as spring whether a chassis had what it took to win the world championship.

Ease off the accelerator: Driving at full throttle under the bridge is now prohibited for noise-reduction reasons – at least for vehicles with internal combustion engines. A sign just before the bridge urges drivers to slow down. It remains to be seen whether this quiet zone will also apply to electric vehicles in future. For now, at least.

Evolution at 2,976 metres: over the decades, the circuit has changed only minimally, but the technology on the sidelines has grown alongside the legend. What began in 1972 with stopwatches is now monitored by a network of fixed cameras and state-of-the-art telemetry. Fiorano is now less a race track than a gigantic, open-air test facility.

Where yesterday meets tomorrow: whilst the architecture of the buildings still exudes the spirit of the 1970s, the track itself is criss-crossed by an invisible digital nervous system. Modern telemetry antennas and high-speed cameras stand in stark contrast to the rustic walls of the complex.

With a lap time of 1:21.0 minutes, the Ferrari 296 GTB secures its place in the top ten of Fiorano’s all-time best-time list (as of autumn 2025). In the Speciale version, it even beats this time by a further two seconds. At the very top of the rankings sits the F80 with a time of 1:15.3 minutes. By way of comparison: the legendary F40 currently ranks 28th with a time of 1:29.6 minutes. However, this gap in times not only reflects the increase in the cars’ performance, but above all the evolution of tyre technology, which has made quantum leaps
since the era of the F40.