Legendary Ferrari mechanic Rolando Levoni passes away at 89 after over 30 years with the Maranello team. Legendary Ferrari mechanic Rolando Levoni, who worked in the Scuderia’s racing department for over 30 years.

Rolando Levoni Bemposti, a historic figure within Ferrari’s racing division, passed away on 13 August at the age of 89 in Maranello, the town where he spent his retirement years.

A key figure in Ferrari’s racing history
Levoni joined Ferrari in 1959 as a mechanic, personally chosen by company founder Enzo Ferrari to strengthen the ranks of the Scuderia’s Reparto Corse (Racing Department). He would remain with the Maranello team for more than thirty years, until his retirement in 1990. His specific role was as the specialist in charge of suspension systems, an essential responsibility in the development and performance of Ferrari’s Formula 1 cars during some of the team’s most memorable years.

Tribute from the mayor of Maranello
The mayor of Maranello, Luigi Zironi, shared his condolences in a message on social media: “Sadly, today we bid farewell to Rolando Levoni, who worked for over thirty years in Ferrari’s racing department, from 1959 to 1990. In Formula 1, he contributed to the development of cars that became part of history, starting with the Ferrari 312 T4 driven by Gilles Villeneuve and Jody Scheckter, which won the World Championship in 1979. Thanks to his human qualities and warm personality, Rolando was also one of the most active members of the Senior Mechanics group of the Prancing Horse, committed to promoting and preserving our motorsport heritage. He will be greatly missed by all of us. On behalf of the entire Maranello community, the municipal administration extends its deepest condolences to his family and shares in their grief at this difficult time.”

A memorable anecdote
A few years ago, Rolando Levoni shared a fond memory from his Formula 1 career with Ferrari, in an interview for Maranello’s official YouTube channel. “The Ferrari I hold dearest in my heart is the 312 T4 that won the World Championship in 1979, with Jody Scheckter first and Gilles Villeneuve second. We were in Monte Carlo, running first and second, and back then the official qualifying sessions lasted more than two hours. We were in the garage, the car was ready, and Jody Scheckter came over, put on his helmet and balaclava, and suddenly said: ‘I don’t have my gloves.’ No problem—I had my own work gloves in the back pocket of my trousers. They were rustic, with the leather seam on the inside, but I had turned them inside out to wear them with the seam on the outside so they would last longer. I said, ‘Here, take these gloves.’ He used them, came back to the pits with a few blisters, but he set pole position with my work gloves.”

It is stories like these, from another era, that have helped shape the legend of Ferrari. The final farewell to Rolando Levoni will be held on Saturday, 16 August at 9:30 a.m. at the Church of Gesù Redentore in Modena.