For nearly thirty years, in Serbia, the Ferrari flag has been much more than just a sports symbol. From Maranello to Belgrade, from Monza to Novi Sad, that red banner with the Prancing Horse has become an emblem of protest and resistance, waving among the crowds during the most critical moments in the political history of the Balkan country.
It was December 7, 1996, when, during a demonstration against the regime of Slobodan Milošević, a Ferrari flag appeared for the first time among the Serbian flags. A group of students had chosen it to easily find each other in the crowd due to its red color, but that instinctive gesture soon turned into a powerful collective symbol. Since then, that flag has endured rain, snow, and repression, becoming an integral part of the student movement that led to the fall of the regime.
“For me, Ferrari is a symbol of strength, perseverance, and resistance,” Igor, the owner of the first flag, recounted years later. “Every time there is an injustice, there is also the Ferrari flag.”
Why has the Ferrari flag become a symbol in Serbia?
Today, in 2025, history is repeating itself. During the student protests against the government of Aleksandar Vučić, which began after the collapse of a bus stop in Novi Sad that caused 16 deaths, the Ferrari flag has returned to the streets. In Belgrade, on March 15, nearly half a million people protested against the regime, and once again, that red mark stood out among the national flags.
Its presence is an ironic response to the regime’s recurring accusations that the protests are instigated by foreign agents. Just as it was thirty years ago, the government points the finger at the West, and just as back then, the protesters respond with a Ferrari flag—a Western symbol embraced by the people but not imposed by external forces.
Maranello’s recognition
Ferrari has not remained indifferent. When the flag made headlines worldwide in the 1990s, then-president Luca Cordero di Montezemolo sent a package to the protesters containing caps, pins, and books about the history of the Scuderia, accompanied by a personal message. A gesture that, while never leading to a formal meeting, strengthened the symbolic bond between Ferrari and Serbian youth.
Today, that bond endures. Because even under the pressure of a regime, passion, determination, and the desire for freedom can find an unexpected standard-bearer: a red car from Maranello that does not race on the track but among the people—every time resistance is needed.
Source: f1ingenerale
