Ferrari SF90 Specs & Facts

Ferrari SF90

Ninety Years of Scuderia Ferrari

The Ferrari SF90 carried a name of profound symbolic significance: the designation honoured Scuderia Ferrari's 90th anniversary, marking nine decades of competition that had produced more Formula 1 World Championships than any other constructor in the sport's history. Arriving in 2019 as one of the championship favourites alongside Mercedes, the SF90 demonstrated exceptional raw pace in qualifying throughout the season, at several circuits it was the single fastest car over a single lap, but development and reliability struggles meant the car never quite translated that speed into the consistent championship challenge that Ferrari had hoped to mount.

Vettel and Leclerc: A Fascinating Pairing

The 2019 season introduced one of the most intriguing driver dynamics of the modern era when Ferrari paired four-time World Champion Sebastian Vettel with the spectacularly talented Charles Leclerc in his first season at the team. The relationship evolved from initial cordiality through increasingly competitive tension, culminating in the controversial contact between the two cars at the Brazilian grand prix that eliminated both from a race where the SF90 had strong potential. Leclerc ultimately outscored Vettel over the course of the season, signalling a power shift within the garage and establishing the young Monégasque as the undisputed future of the team. Both drivers won races, Leclerc securing back-to-back victories at Spa and Monza, in what proved to be a season of genuine highlights despite the championship falling away.

Pace and Promise, Frustration and Failure

The SF90's legacy is one of unfulfilled potential. In qualifying, the Ferrari was often the benchmark, particularly on power-sensitive circuits where its engine performance provided a decisive advantage over Mercedes. But race-pace consistency, strategic execution, and several reliability issues conspired to rob Ferrari of victories they might otherwise have claimed. The team's struggle to convert pole positions into wins became a recurring theme, and by season's end the deficit to Mercedes in the Constructors' standings reflected missed opportunities rather than a fundamental lack of competitiveness. The SF90 nonetheless reinforced Ferrari's aerodynamic capabilities and set the framework for what the team hoped would be a stronger campaign with the SF1000 in 2020.

Ferrari SF90 – Technical Specifications