Revealed: Ferrari ditches its iconic red color – with surprising change to Formula 1 in Miami next month

Ferrari will ditch its traditional red livery for “fresh, unexpected colors” at next month’s Miami Grand Prix.

The Scuderia’s cars will be decked out in blue for the race weekend to celebrate the 70th anniversary of Ferrari’s presence in North America.

The design change will be unique and will feature two shades of blue – Azzurro La Plata and Azzurro Dino – in place of the traditional Rosso Corsa, the red livery synonymous with the Scuderia.

Azzurro La Plata – a lighter shade of blue, similar to that of Argentina’s national flag – is a nod to the color worn by the legendary Alberto Ascari.

The Italian, Ferrari’s first Formula One world champion, wore a blue racing suit and blue helmet when he won the title in 1952 and 1953.

Carlos Sainz (left) and Charles Leclerc (right) will not wear their traditional red racing suits

Ferrari last raced in blue and white at the United States and Mexican Grands Prix at the end of the 1964 season, in which John Surtees took the title.

Ascari was a pioneer for Ferrari drivers, with John Surtees, Chris Amon, Lorenzo Bandini and Ludovico Scarfiotti all wearing light blue racing suits in the 1960s.

Ferrari last ditched its traditional red in 1964, when it was replaced with a white and blue livery for the final two rounds of the championship: the United States GP at Watkins Glen and the Mexican GP in Mexico City.

And Surtees became the only Ferrari driver to win a Formula One world title in a color other than red, finishing second in Mexico, edging Graham Hill to the title by one point.

The late Niki Lauda also wore this color in his first season with Ferrari in 1974, before switching to red the following season.

The livery was also used on other Ferrari racing cars by the North American Racing Team, founded in 1958 to promote the brand in the United States and which competed primarily in endurance races.

Azzurro Dino, meanwhile, is a darker shade of blue, which was last worn by the late Clay Regazzoni in 1974, before Ferrari drivers began regularly wearing Rosso Corsa suits.

Surtees wore a light blue racing suit, known as the Azzurro La Plata, throughout his time at Ferrari.

Niki Lauda wore a blue racing suit during his first season with Ferrari in 1974

Clay Regazzoni wore a darker shade of blue, known as Azzurro Dino, during the same season.

The nickname Dino is a tribute to Enzo Ferrari’s first son, Alfredo – nicknamed Dino – who died at the age of 24.

The special livery that will adorn the SF-24 cars will be unveiled in Florida in the run-up to the Miami race, as part of a week-long celebration of Ferrari’s presence in North America.

Although no launch date has yet been announced, the Scuderia posted a video of Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz donning the light blue racing suits on Instagram and X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.

Ferrari unveiled a unique livery at last season’s Las Vegas GP to pay homage to its old red and white color scheme.

The Miami GP will mark the second time in as many years that Ferrari has unveiled a unique color change for a race in the United States.

Last season, the Scuderia sported a red and white livery at the Las Vegas GP, to pay homage to one of its iconic colors from the past.