Ferrari Reveal Retro Livery To Honour Niki Lauda's Legacy; Celebrate 50 Years Of Championship Win

Ferrari will look to past glory as inspiration when they close out the European leg of the Formula One season at this weekend’s Italian Grand Prix.

For the long-suffering tifosi, Sunday’s race offers both a trip down memory lane and another reminder of how far their beloved Scuderia has fallen from its title-winning heights.

The event marks the 50th anniversary of Niki Lauda’s first world championship, won with Ferrari at Monza in 1975 before an adoring home crowd.

To honor that milestone, Ferrari will run their cars – driven by seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc, last year’s Monza winner – in a special red-and-white retro livery reminiscent of the iconic 312T.

Adding to the nostalgia, fan favorite Jean Alesi will take Ferrari’s 1995 412 T2, a V12-powered machine from his era, for an exhibition run around the legendary “Pista Magica" on Sunday morning.

Present Pain for the Prancing Horse

The celebrations come against the backdrop of Ferrari’s 17-year title drought, their last championship dating back to 2008. Despite sitting second in the constructors’ standings, the 2025 campaign has been one of frustration. The team has yet to win a race this season, something both Red Bull and Mercedes – lower in the standings – have managed.

The scars of last weekend remain fresh: both Ferraris crashed out in Zandvoort, compounding a year marked by inconsistency and missed opportunities.

Hamilton’s Homecoming Complicated

For Hamilton, Monza was supposed to be a landmark moment – his first appearance at Ferrari’s home Grand Prix since joining from Mercedes in January. Instead, it comes with a sting. The 40-year-old Briton, a five-time Monza winner with McLaren and Mercedes, will start with a five-place grid penalty, further dampening hopes of delivering the tifosi their dream podium.

Hamilton has yet to finish inside the top three in 15 starts for Ferrari, a stark statistic for one of the most successful drivers in F1 history. The “Temple of Speed" may not offer redemption this time.

While Ferrari struggle, McLaren continue to define the 2025 season. Chasing a sixth straight victory and their 13th in 16 races, they sit an astonishing 324 points clear in the constructors’ championship.

Within the team, the title race is effectively a two-man duel between Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris. Piastri extended his lead to 34 points after Norris retired with a smoking engine in Zandvoort, but Norris, last year’s Monza polesitter and fastest-lap holder, insists the fight is far from over.

(with Reuters inputs)

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