Mugello, 6 November –The Finali Mondiali has always been a time to take a first look back at Ferrari’s racing season and that was again the case at Mugello this weekend. President Luca di Montezemolo, Scuderia team principal Stefano Domenicali and the head of Corse Clienti Antonello Coletta were on hand to meet the press covering the event to review the year, even if there are still two Formula 1 Grands Prix to go, as well as the decisive round of the Intercontinental Le Mans Cup on the GT front.

Montezemolo was naturally enough centre stage. “It’s been an amazing year,” he began, “when it comes to the Challenge races and the GT series, both in terms of the number of competitors and the number of wins, like the one that went to the Bruni-Fisichella duo in the Le Mans Series. We are here this weekend precisely to celebrate the passion of so many of our owners who love to race our cars and above all share a great sense of camaraderie and they come from all over the world: there is an Argentine who has just bought the Formula 1 car that Schumacher raced in 2004, an Australian who yesterday won the Asia-Pacific series of the Coppa Shell, with twelve Chinese taking part and others also from Hong Kong, not forgetting the Americans, Europeans and Italians. It’s events like these that capture the real passion of Ferrari. However, it’s been a difficult year on the Formula 1 front, where maybe we paid for our great fightback in 2010, but above all, we did not have the car that I, the team and all our fans wanted.

Nevertheless, we can still delight in our Silverstone result, winning with Fernando Alonso, sixty years on from when, at the same circuit, Froilan Gonzalez took our first ever victory at the highest level of motorsport. That is cause for satisfaction.

We can also take pride in the fact that, from 1997 to the present day, with very few exceptions, Ferrari has been a championship contender, either winning or fighting for the title to the very last round, in a period of time during which our main rivals, be it the Williams era, then McLaren, Renault and now Red Bull, have always changed.

Mugello (Scarperia), 5 November 2011 –The third day of the Finali Mondiali got underway with sessions on track for the drivers in the 599XX and FXX programmes. As for the Ferrari Challenge Trofeo Pirelli, the final rounds of all four series crowned more champions today. Yesterday, Stefano Gai became the Italian Trofeo Pirelli champion and Benedetto Marti was crowned in the Coppa Shell, while Max Blancardi took the European title. Today, Singaporean Ringo Chong won the Asia Pacific Trofeo Pirelli championship with Steve Wyatt winning the Coppa Shell, while the F430 category of the European series went to Gerald Grohman and the Mallegol-Bachelier pairing in the Coppa Shell. Tomorrow it’s time for the races to decide the world titles over three races taking place at 09.00 (F430) 11.05 (Coppa Shell) and 13.05 (Trofeo Pirelli).

Following on from Friday’s excitement, today’s two races were equally closely contested with plenty of overtaking. In the European Trofeo Pirelli, Max Blancardi (Motor/Malucelli) won Race 2 ahead of Alexsander Skryabin (Ferrari Moscow) and Alexander Mattschull (Scuderia Praha.) Philippe Prette (Motor/Malucelli) took the top honours among the gentleman drivers in the Coppa Shell, beating Andrii Kruglyk (Ferrari Moscow) and Dirk Adamski (Baron Service,) while in the Asia Pacific Pirelli class, Hisao Shigeta (Ferrari Japan) stood on the top step of the podium, with Steve Wyatt best of the Shell runners.

In the afternoon it was the turn of the Italian and the North American competitors: the Italian Trofeo Pirelli saw Matteo Malucelli (Motor/Malucelli) emerge victorious from Stefano Gai (Rossocorsa) and Lorenzo Bontempelli (Kessel Racing) with Benedetto Marti (Motor/Piacenza) winning the Coppa Shell ahead of Giacomo Stratta (Forza) and Mario Molteni (Rossocorsa.) Best of the North American runners was Enzo Potolicchio in the Pirelli class and Scott Tucker in the Coppa Shell for Boardwalk Ferrari.

Tomorrow is the last day of the event and apart from the races to decide the actual Finali Mondiali, there will be demonstration runs featuring Formula 1 cars and those entered in the exlusive FXX and 599XX programmes. Adding to what is already an amazing day, Scuderia Ferrari drivers, Giancarlo Fisichella and Marc Gené will take to the track at the wheel of an F10 and an F2008.

Maranello, 5 November –Today, at the Finali Mondiali, it was announced that the Maranello company is now in partnership with prestigious watch manufacturer, Hublot.

Hublot is now the official timepiece production company for all the Maranello marque’s activities, both in terms of image, as well as producing specific pieces such as the “Ferrari Official Watch” and the “Scuderia Ferrari Official Watch,” as well as taking on the role of :Ferrari Official Timekeeper,” Scuderia Ferrari Official Timekeeper” and “Ferrari Challenge Official Timekeeper.”

Speaking at the press conference to present the partnership, Ferrari S.p.A. President Luca di Montezemolo said, “exclusivity, technology and passion are among the many things that Ferrari and Hublot have in common and this partnership comes at an important time for both companies Being here at Mugello today, with so many of our owners and fans and hundreds of such beautiful Ferraris is the ideal opportunity to announce an all encompassing collaboration that will see Hublot join forces with us for the coming years.”

Scarperia, 4 November-The second day of the Finali Mondiali Ferrari featured competitors in all four of the Ferrari Challenge Trofeo Pirelli series tackling the second qualifying session and the first races of the weekend. The races confirmed the high standard of racing in the one-make series, with the first titles only decided at this the final rund of a very closely contested season. In the Italian Trofeo Pirelli, Lorenzo Bontempelli (Kessel Racing) was fastest over all, while for the North Americans, the best time was set by Enzo Potolicchio of Ferrari of Fort Lauderdale. Fastest of the gentleman drivers was Benedetto Marti while Riccardo Ragazzi (Ineco/Ram) and Scott Tucker (Boardwalk) set the best times of those using the F430 in the respective championships. In qualifying for the European division, pole position for Race 2 went to Alexsander Skryabin (Ferrari Moscow) in the Trofeo Pirelli and Fons Scheltema (Kessel Racing) in the Coppa Shell. In the Asia Pacific championship, a performance worthy of note from Hisao Shigeta, who following on from a strong showing yesterday, beat the Singaporean Ringo Chong and the HKG’s Eric Kwong, while in the Coppa Shell, quickest time went to Australia’s Steve Wyatt.

The excitement level ramped up in the afternoon, when the first races took place, for the most part on a wet track. In the Italian Trofeo Pirelli category, Matteo Malucelli took the win in Race 1, with Stefano Gai and Dario Caso (CDP) in the remaining podium places, which was enough for Gai to secure enough points to take the Italian title for the second consecutive year, with one race in hand. The Coppa Shell also produced a thrilling race for the top places, with Benedetto Marti taking the victory and the title among the gentleman drivers. The Motor/Piacenza driver crossed the line ahead of Marco Zanuttini (Ineco/MP) and Raffaele Giannoni (Motor/Piacenza.) In the North American Trofeo Pirelli, highest placed was the reigning champion Enzo Potolicchio, second overall behind Malucelli, while the honours among the F430 runners went to Andrea Belluzzi for the Italians and Juan Hinestrosa for the North Americans.

In the European series, Max Blancardi (Motor/Malucelli) took the title in the Pirelli category, thanks to a sixth place in the first race, which was won by Philipp Baron ahead of two Ferrari Moscow drivers, Grossmann and Skyrabin.

In the Coppa Shell, Kruglyk (Scuderia GT) dominated the first race which had plenty of overtaking moves, to cross the line ahead of Dirk Adamski (Baron Service) and Yannick Mallegol (Motor/Piacenza.)

Hong Kong’s Eric Kwong was victorious beating two Japanese drivers, Motoaki Ishikawa and Shigeru Terashima. In the Asia Pacific Coppa Shell, the win went to Steve Wyatt, with Gregory Teo and Onda Francis Hideki second and third.

On a busy day, the historic Formula 1 cars, run by the F1 Clienti department of Maranello also did a few untimed sessions. No less than twenty jewels of yesteryear were present including a 1987 ex Alboreto/Berger F1-87/88, six cars driven by Michael Schumacher in 1998, 2001, 2002, 2004 and 2005 and the F2007 which Kimi Raikkonen took to the world title. Among the non-racing activities, there were track sessions for nine FXX cars and twenty-two 599XX entered in the eponymous programmes.
Tomorrow sees the second round of races that group together the Italian and North American competitors and the European with the Asia Pacific. The Ferrari one-make series will be broadcast in over sixty countries around the world.

Mugello (Scarperia), 3 November – The Finali Mondiali Ferrari, the event which has traditionally brought the race season to a close, got underway today at Mugello, which plays host for the first time since 2008, after it was held for the last two years at the Valencia circuit. The Mugello track was completely resurfaced, while at the same time significant work was carried out on the infrastructure, with a new central grandstand and a tribute to 150 years of Italian Unity, with the kerbs painted white, red and green, the colours of the Italian flag. There is a busy four day programme, featuring competitors from all four of the Ferrari Challenge Trofeo Pirelli series; Italy, Europe, North America and Asia Pacific fighting for the title of world champion. Also on track, demonstration runs from Ferrari private owner teams competing in international GT series. Even more spectacle is on the cards with Formula 1 cars from the past that have played their part in the history of Scuderia Ferrari, laboratory cars from the exclusive FXX Programme as well as the 599XX extreme sports car designed for track use and therefore free of any need to meet homologation rules.

Today, the European and Asia Pacific competitors tackled the first round of qualifying to decide the grid for Race 1 which takes place tomorrow at 14.55. The first European Trofeo Pirelli pole went to Bjorn Grossmann (Ferrari Moscow), who finished ahead of Philipp Baron (Baron Service) and Max Blancardi (Motor/Malucelli). Of those running in the Coppa Shell, Andrii Kruglyk (Ferrari Moscow) set the fastest time, followed by Yannick Mallegol (Motor/Piacenza) and Philippe Prette (Motor/Malucelli). In Asia Pacific series the fastest was the Japanese driver Hisao Shigeta, while in Coppa Shell, the Australian Steve Wyatt set the fastest session lap. The starting grid for the first race of the Italian and North American series of the Ferrari Challenge Trofeo Pirelli finds Matteo Malucelli (Motor/Malucelli) on the number one slot on the grid, followed by Lorenzo Bontempelli (Kessel Racing) and Stefano Gai (Rossocorsa). Best of the gentleman drivers in the Coppa Shell in this first session was Benedetto Marti (Motor/Piacenza), who outpaced Alessandro Vezzoni (Rossocorsa/Pellin) and Raffaele Giannoni (Motor/Piacenza), while in North American series Enzo Potolicchio (Ferrari of FT. Lauderdale) set the fastest time. This will be the final appearance of a long racing career for the F430 Challenge, prior to definitively passing the baton to the 458: quickest of those using the F430 were Alexei Basov (Ferrari Moscow) of the European runners and Riccardo Ragazzi (Ineco Ram) in the Italian series.

Tomorrow sees the second qualifying session and the first races that group together the Italian and North American competitors and the European with the Asia Pacific. The Ferrari one-make series will be broadcast in over sixty countries around the world.

Mugello (Scarperia), 3 November –From today until Sunday, the Mugello International Circuit is hosting this year’s Finali Mondiali Ferrari, the event that brings to a close the Maranello marque’s racing season, apart from Scuderia Ferrari’s participation in the upcoming final two rounds of the Formula 1 World Championship. The event brings together fans of the Prancing Horse, as well as competitors in the Ferrari Challenge championship who will be fighting it out in the final round of their respective series, as they battle for the world titles.

The highlight comes on Sunday when Scuderia Ferrari drivers, Giancarlo Fisichella and Marc Gene take to the Tuscan track at the wheel of an F10 and an F2008.

The busy programme also sees on track historic Formula 1 cars and cars involved in the exclusive XX programmes, as well as the usual demonstration runs from some of the competitors in the International GT series, who took wins in competitive championships such as the Le Mans Series and the FIA GT3.