From the moment you approach the paddock entry gates to Ferrari’s Finali Mondiali event, which are lined with 296 GTBs, it quickly becomes apparent that this is an occasion which is all about the experience, for the brand’s customers, its employees, the Tifosi and the media in attendance. Thus, the best way to cover the weekend, it would seem, is to write about exactly that.
So, welcome to the first of DSC’s three-part 2024 Finali Mondiali Diary series, which will be filed at the end of each day’s track action.
DSC’s visit to Imola for this year’s Finali Mondiali began this morning with a whistle-stop tour of the paddock, to set the scene ahead of the packed programme on and off track tomorrow and Sunday.
The first stop came at the huge structure which houses an array of some of Ferrari’s newer road cars. After a quick chat about the work behind the scenes on the broadcast coverage for the event, DSC took a stroll through the main drag, taking in the beautifully presented machinery on display, which includes, among others, a 12 Cilindri, Purosangue, Roma Spider and multiple 296 GTDs.
A tour of the main pit garages came next. This week they are housing the cars entered for the XX Programme and F1 Clienti & Sport Prototipi Clienti sessions.
The numbers are staggering for the private practice runs scattered across the timetable.
A selection of FXX K, FXX-K EVO, 599XX and 599XX EVOs are among the 50 or so examples on site, as well as a smattering of Formula One cars from the mid-90s to 2017 and 10 499P Modificatas, present at Finali Mondiali for the first time, a year on from the car’s first reveal.
Anyone partial to the sound of V10 and V12 engines will surely relish every on-track session for these cars this weekend. The F1 cars scream past with ear-splitting intensity and serve as a stark reminder of just how loud the pinnacle of motorsport used to be.
The 499P Modificatas meanwhile, may not be quite as audibly violent, but they pack a serious punch through corners and in a straight line. Ferrari’s designers and engineers have pulled no punches with these track-only weapons…
As you stroll further down the paddock area, you are greeted with the grand entrance to the Ferrari Exhibition, but before taking a peek inside, DSC was escorted to the rows of marquees behind, which house the Ferrari Challenge cars that are competing throughout the weekend.
This event, as ever, hosts the climax of the Ferrari Challenge Trofeo Pirelli season, with entries from the European, North American and Japanese series all making the trip for their final regular season rounds and the ‘Finale Mondiale’ winner-take-all races on Sunday morning.
A glance at the dedicated paddock is all that’s needed to confirm that the 296 Challenge – the seventh-generation Ferrari Challenge platform – is a smash hit for the Corse Clienti programme. There are over 80 296 Challenge cars present this weekend from the Ferrari Challenge Trofeo Pirelli Europe series alone. And next year – when the regional UK, Japanese and Australasia series adopt the new car for the first time – there are set to be even more in circulation.
They all look the part when admired in a static setting and on track, and the drivers, it seems, are universally thrilled with the Prancing Horse’s latest product.
Next up is a moment to speak with members of Pirelli’s army of staff, who work frantically all week at an event like this. 18 trucks, DSC is told, are required for Finali Mondiali, 15 to transport the 6,120 tyres it provides for the track action and five to make up the fitting area.
Pirelli, as it happens, is based right next to the Club Competizioni GT tent, at the bottom end of the paddock. And there are plenty of gems tucked away in this corner of the set-up, with several 488 GT3 Modificatas, 296 GT3s, 458 and 488 GTEs and even a 550 GTC to take a look at.
These cars are all stored, prepped and operated by Ferrari for some of its most enthusiastic customers, all eager to own a piece of Ferrari’s illustrious GT racing history and sample it on track throughout the year at exclusive events such as this one.
Heading back to the main paddock area, we side-step into the Ferrari Exhibition, the perfect place to end the tour. It’s a beautifully presented temporary museum displaying 39 significant Ferrari race cars.
The way it’s laid out takes you on a journey through the brand’s sporting history, beginning with a 1948 166 MM and ending a new-for-2024 296 Challenge car.
Looking beyond the rows of Formula 1 cars, sportscar highlights include the Ferrari 330 P4 which won the 24 Hours at Daytona in 1967, both Le Mans-winning 499Ps (featured) and Risi Competizione’s 2024 Rolex 24-winning 296 GT3 (below). It truly is Aladdin’s cave for the Ferrari enthusiast.
This tour is just a first taste of what’s to come over the next two days, which will include a full day of track action tomorrow, before the trio of 30-minute Finali Mondiali Ferrari Challenge races and the Ferrari Show on Sunday.
This year’s Ferrari Show will be extra special, as it is set to include a parade featuring the three 2024 FIA WEC 499P Hypercars, which will start during the morning in the Imola City Centre and end at the circuit. With tens of thousands of Tifosi expected to line the streets for the road run, it’s sure to be quite a sight!
