Formula 1 race weekends are usually defined by the cars, drivers, engineers and strategic decisions visible on television, but Ferrari relies on a much larger operation behind the scenes. One essential part of that structure is the team’s catering service, which must plan menus and prepare hundreds of meals while supporting Ferrari personnel throughout each Grand Prix.
For the Maranello team, feeding its staff is an important part of its wider race-weekend organisation. The challenge involves far more than simply preparing food: nutritional requirements must be respected, ingredients have to be organised in advance and a consistently high standard must be maintained as Formula 1 moves between circuits around the world.
At the same time, Ferrari aims to preserve the Italian identity traditionally associated with the Prancing Horse. Daniele Cerrito, Ferrari’s catering manager, has explained how his group handles that considerable logistical challenge and how his own career took him from the Ristorante Cavallino to working in the Formula 1 paddock.
How Ferrari’s F1 catering operation works during a race weekend
Ferrari’s catering department follows principles familiar throughout a Formula 1 team: planning, coordination and precision. With hundreds of meals to manage over a Grand Prix weekend, improvisation is not an option. For Daniele Cerrito, however, the most important element is having the right people working together.
“To ensure optimal organisation, nothing can be left to chance. Choosing the people you work with is the most important aspect, but also the one that requires the most attention. The essential starting point is being able to rely on a close-knit team, where everyone knows their role perfectly and works in harmony with the others,” Daniele Cerrito explained.
“To achieve that, you need communication, trust and attention to detail. When everyone shares the same objective and knows they can rely on each other, the work becomes more natural and every person’s contribution really makes the difference.”
That preparation starts well before Ferrari personnel arrive at the circuit. Menus are established in advance, with the catering team balancing Italian culinary traditions, ingredients available locally and the dietary requirements of Ferrari’s drivers and staff.
Ferrari plans its Grand Prix menus a week in advance
The process begins around a week before each Grand Prix, allowing the catering operation to secure fresh, high-quality ingredients before the race weekend begins.
“One week before every Grand Prix, we define the menu together with the chef, so we can select and order fresh, quality ingredients. We always try to maintain a strong Italian identity, which is part of Ferrari’s DNA, but whenever possible we also like to include some specialities from the country hosting us,” Daniele Cerrito explained.
Those choices also have to account for the nutritional demands placed on personnel working through an intense Formula 1 weekend. The objective is therefore to combine the character of Italian cuisine with food suited to the needs of the team.
“At the same time, we pay great attention to the team’s nutritional requirements because we know how important it is to eat properly during a race weekend. The objective is simple: to make everyone feel at home, offering quality cuisine that supports the team’s work in the best possible way.”
The scale and consistency required are particularly significant when viewed across an entire season, as Ferrari must reproduce the operation at circuits around the world. Fans following how those events fit together can also consult the complete 2026 Formula 1 calendar.
Daniele Cerrito’s journey from the Ristorante Cavallino to Formula 1
Daniele Cerrito’s route into Ferrari’s Formula 1 operation began long before he became responsible for catering. He joined the Ristorante Cavallino in 2008 and, as a passionate motorsport fan, hoped the opportunity might eventually bring him closer to racing.
Only a year later, he received his first chance to experience a Formula 1 Grand Prix from the inside. Ferrari needed additional help in the kitchen at the Italian Grand Prix, and Daniele Cerrito accepted the opportunity even though his initial job was washing dishes.
“My journey with Ferrari began in 2008, when I started working at the Ristorante Cavallino. I had always been a huge racing fan and hoped that it might be an opportunity to get even closer to this world,” Daniele Cerrito recalled.
“The following year I was offered an experience at the Italian Grand Prix, where they needed some help in the kitchen. Even though the job was washing dishes, I didn’t hesitate for a moment because certain opportunities have to be seized immediately and with the right humility.”
That experience gave him a completely different perspective on what is required to stage a Formula 1 weekend. Rather than seeing only what happens on the circuit, he was exposed to the extensive operation supporting Ferrari behind the scenes.
“That was where I discovered all the work that goes on behind a Formula 1 weekend, so in the following years I continued working between the Cavallino and Scuderia events, learning something new every day.”
Taking responsibility for Ferrari’s catering team
As his experience grew, Daniele Cerrito was eventually given an opportunity to take on greater responsibility when Ferrari reorganised its catering service. The transition presented a new challenge, particularly from a management perspective.
“When the catering service was reorganised, I was given the opportunity to take on a position of responsibility: an important challenge, especially from a management point of view, which I accepted enthusiastically,” he explained.
Despite the years that have passed since his first experience with Ferrari, Daniele Cerrito says the motivation behind his work has remained unchanged.
“Today, after so many years, the motivation is the same as it was on the first day. The greatest satisfaction is working with people who share the same values and the same team spirit. That’s what makes Scuderia Ferrari such a special environment, almost like a family.”
The unseen work behind every Ferrari F1 weekend
Daniele Cerrito’s experience offers a glimpse into an area of Ferrari’s Formula 1 operation that receives little public attention. While the focus during a Grand Prix naturally falls on the performance of Charles Leclerc, Lewis Hamilton, the cars, engineers and strategy team, a much larger group works behind the scenes to keep the entire organisation functioning.
The people working in Ferrari’s kitchens therefore contribute directly to the everyday wellbeing of hundreds of team members. Those personnel are required to operate under intense schedules and exceptionally high standards throughout every Formula 1 weekend, making catering another important part of the extensive infrastructure supporting the Scuderia at each Grand Prix.
Leave a Reply