The Ferrari F80 is the car of the moment, the one commanding center stage in discussions among enthusiasts. It couldn’t be any other way, given its role as the queen of the range and as the technological and performance pinnacle among Maranello’s road-legal models. We’re talking about an engineering jewel that sets new benchmarks for its kind. Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz Jr. had the opportunity to test this new creation at the Fiorano circuit. The test was conducted with a camouflaged prototype, but with its final design lines. Both drivers were enthusiastic about its capabilities.
Ferrari F80: Formula 1 Scuderia Ferrari drivers test the new hypercar
We had no doubts about the excellence of this creation, given that this Prancing Horse supercar is the latest descendant of the lineage inaugurated in 1984 by the GTO and continued with the F40, F50, Enzo, and LaFerrari. The Ferrari F80 raises the bar even higher, benefiting from a close connection with the 499P, winner of the two most recent editions of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The value of the package is confirmed by the emotions visible on the faces of the Prancing Horse Formula 1 drivers in the must-watch video.
Both Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz Jr. were impressed by the capabilities of the new Italian supercar. To borrow their words, driving it feels like a race car, but it’s always predictable, making it enjoyable even for those who don’t wear racing suits and helmets on Sundays. Dynamic versatility is another of its strengths. Its performance vigor is astonishing, but the balance is also top-notch. Regarding the latter, Leclerc says the F80 is the best road-going Ferrari he’s ever driven. Both his and Sainz Jr.‘s words are extremely flattering about the car, and their truthfulness is evident in their eyes’ expressions.
At this point, it’s worth spending a few words on the model, for a brief review of the Ferrari F80‘s main characteristics, to provide technical context for the video featuring the two Ferrari Formula 1 drivers. Under the striking bodywork lies a 3.0-liter twin-turbo V6 hybrid powertrain, combining 900 horsepower from the thermal unit with 300 horsepower from the electric units, for a combined output of 1200 horsepower: no road-going Ferrari has ever reached such heights.
This energetic vigor translates into extraordinary performance, with acceleration from 0 to 100 km/h in 2.1 seconds and 0 to 200 km/h in just 5.75 seconds. The maximum speed is around 350 km/h. These numbers are frightening, but not as much as the lap time that the Ferrari F80 has set on the Fiorano track. While the exact figure hasn’t been released yet, it appears this limited-series sports car performs significantly better than the SF90 XX Stradale, coming closer than any other supercar from the brand to racing car performance levels.