IMAGO / PanoramiC
Ahead of the 2024 Miami GP, Ferrari teased an all-blue special livery to mark their 70th anniversary in the North American market. Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz will wear blue overalls for the outing, but even before that, they will arrive to the Miami International Autodrome in 296GTS in Azzurro Da Plata and Azzurro Dino colors.
In Italian, the word Azzurro means blue. Da Plata signifies a lighter shade of blue and Dino, a darker shade. Leclerc, who loves the lighter shade (Azzurro Da Plata) will get his hands on the same, whereas Sainz will drive the other 296GTS. Each car costs around $376,000, which means that the overall price for the Ferrari drivers’ rides will amount to $752,000.
Azzurro La Plata became famous when Alberto Ascari, Ferrari’s first World Champion used the color back in 1952 and 1953. La Plata, in Spanish is Silver and the color resembles the Argentine flag. Ascari used it as his color because he considered it a lucky charm. Several drivers including Niki Lauda used the Azzurro La Plata color on their Ferraris, making it iconic in the world of motorsports. Leclerc will continue with their legacy in this one-off livery at Miami next weekend.
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Dino, on the other hand means ‘formidable’, a color made famous by Clay Regazzoni who last wore it in 1974. It is a darker shade of blue and Carlos Sainz will drive the same on his way to the track and on it as well.
Why Ferrari is going all blue for the 2024 Miami GP
Ferrari has traditionally associated itself with the color red but that isn’t to say that they haven’t raced in blue before. In the last two races of the 1964 season, Ferrari fielded a blue and white car to represent the flag of the United States of America. While they did return to red after those two outings (US GP and Mexican GP), the color caught on and became iconic.
Fast forward to 2024, Ferrari pays homage to the blue and white and also marks the anniversary of their presence in the American market for 70 years. It also pays a tribute to the legendary drivers in the 1960s who made the team great in its early F1 years.
Keeping the off-track activities aside, the Maranello-based team needs to pull off an outstanding race in Miami to keep McLaren at bay. The Papayas are set to bring major upgrades and with this, they will look to close their gap to P2 in the Championship Standings.
Ferrari’s one-off blue livery will be revealed in Miami, before the race weekend which kicks off on 3rd May.
