Ferrari and the 1100 GPs in Formula 1: a look back at all the ‘century’ races. Not all "round numbers" have been bitter for Ferrari, although the "century" figures don’t seem to bring much luck .

It went badly, indeed terribly. Ferrari’s F1 milestone of 1100 GPs, reached at the Chinese GP, was unfortunately “burned” with a double disqualification, marking a unique occurrence in the Scuderia’s history. Luckily, not all “round numbers” have been bitter for the Scuderia, although the “century” figures don’t seem to bring much luck to the Maranello team, which has only won once when inaugurating a new century.

1 – GP Monaco 1950: Ferrari’s F1 debut took place at the 2nd GP in history, in Monte Carlo. Three Ferraris were in the race: three 125s entrusted to Alberto Ascari, Raymond Sommer, and Luigi Villoresi. Gigi retired due to a transmission failure, the Frenchman finished 4th, while Ascari finished 2nd, bringing Ferrari straight to the podium.

100 – GP Germany 1963: The Scuderia reached its 100th GP at the 1963 German GP, with both joy and sorrow. The hero at the terrible old Nurburgring was John Surtees, who took the 156 to victory; it was his first career win. Willy Mairesse’s other Ferrari retired due to an accident with dramatic consequences: the Belgian suffered fractures to his arms and legs, while a rescuer was struck and tragically lost his life. For Mairesse, considering his failure to start the 1964 Belgian GP, it was also his last race in his career.

200 – GP Brazil 1973: The 200th GP for Ferrari came at the second round of 1973, at Interlagos. A race with little to write home about: the two 312 B2s, driven by Arturo Merzario and Jackie Ickx, finished 4th and 5th respectively.

300 – GP Netherlands 1979: Paradoxically, at Zandvoort in 1979, Ferrari’s 300th GP, it’s much easier to remember the Ferrari 312 T4 that retired, driven by Gilles Villeneuve, than the one that finished second with Jody Scheckter. It’s the legendary race where Gilles, with a deflated left rear tire, completed an entire lap with his arm raised and a car losing pieces: one of the images that fueled the “Villeneuve Fever.”

400 – GP Detroit 1986: Little glory at the 1986 Detroit GP, Ferrari’s 400th. The F1-86 was uncompetitive and didn’t win any races. In Michigan, Michele Alboreto finished 4th, while Stefan Johansson retired due to an alternator failure.

500 – GP Hungary 1992: Another “century” without much satisfaction for Ferrari, which at the 1992 Hungarian GP, with the beautiful but disappointing F92A, could only manage 6th place with Ivan Capelli, while Jean Alesi was forced to retire.

600 – GP Belgium 1998: One of the most disappointing “round numbers” in one of the most famous races. After the massive start-line crash (the biggest ever) that required a second start, under the deluge, Michael Schumacher gave a lesson to everyone with the F300, but was caught up in the infamous collision with David Coulthard, who was accused of slowing down; a near fistfight occurred in the pits, but what mattered in the end was that Schumacher finished without points, failing to take advantage of Hakkinen’s retirement, his title rival and teammate at McLaren with David Coulthard. Around the same time, the other Ferrari driven by Eddie Irvine also retired, leading to a very bitter double DNF.

700 – GP Belgium 2004: Spa 2004 is unforgettable, as it gave Michael Schumacher his seventh and final career title. In a race where Kimi Raikkonen’s star shone, stunningly winning with McLaren, Schumacher finished second ahead of Rubens Barrichello in the other F2004. It was a great celebration in the Scuderia’s garage.

800 – GP Turkey 2010: A difficult race at Istanbul in 2010, with Felipe Massa and Fernando Alonso never being protagonists in an F10 struggling on the Turkish Sunday. In the end, the Brazilian finished 7th, just ahead of his teammate.

900 – GP Belgium 2015: Once again, a “century” milestone in Belgium, but still without a win. At Spa, Sebastian Vettel was fighting for the podium, but in the final laps, his tire exploded, and the German was classified only 12th; a difficult race also for the other SF15-T, driven by Kimi Raikkonen, who finished 7th.

1000 – GP Tuscany 2020: We enter more recent history, which is easier to remember. The 1000th GP, marked by the 2020 car named SF1000, took place in a season disrupted by Covid. In a calendar that had to be redone, Ferrari made the Mugello circuit available, scheduling the race so that the Scuderia could celebrate its 1000th GP on its own track. Unfortunately, the SF1000, painted for the occasion in a dark 1950s red, was a disastrous project, and in Tuscany, Charles Leclerc finished only 8th, while Sebastian Vettel was 10th.

1100 – GP China 2025: On the track where F1 celebrated the 1000th GP (in 2019), Ferrari reached 1100 six years later. A tough race, with Charles Leclerc finishing 5th and Lewis Hamilton 6th, but after the checkered flag, the SF-25s were disqualified for failing to pass the technical checks.