Convinced? The fact is that almost everyone outside of the Maranello-based car maker will refer to the Purosangue as its first SUV, and though it’s true that no other performance SUV is powered by a naturally-aspirated V12 (let’s ignore the luxurious Rolls-Royce Cullinan), there are a few obvious rivals in terms of body shape and on-paper performance; namely the Lamborgini Urus, Aston Martin DBX707 and Porsche Cayenne Turbo GT. Extract from Jean Todt, Ferrari’s most successful team principal: “When we speak about the difference in perceptions between Ferrari from the inside and Ferrari from the outside, my experience developed over the years. But when I arrived, people had no faith in me because I was French; I had no experience in F1, so they thought, ‘Okay, he’s coming for one or two years, to make some money and leave.’ But then, over the years, they realized that I was focused because I was in the factory day and night with the team, and I was really putting in all the effort. Stefano Domenicali, former Ferrari F1 team principal, now CEO of Formula 1, said: “Every time there is an occasion to celebrate at the factory or a moment to share, it is experienced not only with the racing team, but also with the other side of the company on the GT side, because Ferrari is all one company, and it is very important to share these kinds of things. Everyone feels that, under the F1 brand, they are seen as a team that is recognized worldwide. The company takes that responsibility seriously – of being seen as a model for Italian industry all around the world.

A strong start to the season is one thing, but maintaining that performance across the whole year has been Ferrari's weakness ever since it last won a title in 2008. Despite the victory drought, the team's goal has not changed in the past 15 years and there was no shying away from the ultimate target of winning the title again this year. There would be more race wins before Postlethwaite left Maranello in 1987, but the 1982 car remains the one that his tenure at the team is best remembered for. What I really think about... supercars, America, foreigners, car launches, Top Gear, the battle of the sexes and cars " The steering is beautifully weighted, with super-sharp turn-in when in Sport mode (there’s no Race setting on the Manettino, this being in Ferrari’s GT model line-up), and incredible front-end grip. The team is bigger but it is not a drama," he said. "The DNA and the approach of the business is much more important than the size of the company. I think to run a race team is different to a lot of other companies, because you don't have to motivate the people, the motivation is there and the motivation is very over full in terms of the management.In the front, the seats are comfortable and there’s a heavily sculpted dashboard with touches that retain a familiar Ferrari feel, including a steering wheel heavy on buttons and drive-mode selectors. Ergonomics are improved over the Ferrari Roma and 296, so it’s easier to scroll through a reduced number of screens. Sat-nav is by smartphone link only. Initially a little daunting, it’s all intuitive once you’ve familiarised yourself with the control logic. And safer, according to its designers. Ferrari says this is all part of its ‘eyes on the road, hands on the steering wheel’ philosophy, and has conducted biometric tests to provide empirical proof that there’s reduced driver distraction. The worry with advanced electronic damping and ride height control is that you end up with an artificial sensation through the wheels, but with the Purosangue the way the car moves around when punishing it is absolutely natural and predictable. It’s a car that belies its 2.1-tonne weight, with those astonishingly powerful carbon-ceramic brakes that you can lean on hard for hairpins or feather gently when you want to carry speed through a tightening turn, and there’s never a hint of it getting out of shape.

Postlethwaite remained adamant that Villeneuve would have won in 1982, and could have gone on to achieve much more.Vasseur has ruled out an overhaul of the team before the first race, opting to take time to understand Ferrari's shortcomings before he makes changes. Speaking on Tuesday, he said the priority over the winter had been on fixing last year's engine reliability issues, which not only resulted in race retirements but also forced the team to turn down the performance of its engine to reduce the risk of a failure.

Kevin Maher, Times (UK): "[A] handsomely made, competently performed but ultimately quite empty drama from the veteran film-maker Michael Mann." Rides at Ferrari World include Formula Rossa, which is billed as the world’s fastest roller coaster and can reach 150mph in 4.9sec. It is designed to let visitors experience the kind of G-forces F1 drivers feel during a race. Each unit has its own motor control module and they’re linked together by a central processor that monitors the position of each unit and can adjust roll and pitch resistance on the fly. Ferrari offers limited- and powertrain-warranty coverage identical to that provided by Lamborghini. However, Ferrari one-ups its rival when it comes to complimentary scheduled maintenance; with Ferrari vehicles, you get seven years of coverage. With Lamborghini vehicles, complimentary scheduled maintenance isn't offered. The brakes are pretty sensational in the dry but extraordinary on those low grip surfaces. Ferrari’s ABSevo braking system, with brake-by-wire technology, is available for the first time on a model designed for use on snow and ice and it manages not just to keep the car pointing in the right direction under hard braking but also scrubs off tremendous amounts of speed.Stories and advice about our beloved classics Are these the 23 ugliest cars ever made? Alan Mann unveils electric Ford Mustang restomod Goodwood Revival's cutest race? Yes and no › More here... Pretty much everything I learned from my time at Ferrari has informed the way that I operate today as F1 CEO. It was very important for me, and I’m very appreciative of the people at Ferrari who inspired me during that period of my growth.” There’s no grille, as such, with the lower “shelf” doing much of the cooling work while the upper slit houses a forward camera and sensors. After injury ended his F1 career, Pironi moved into powerboat racing but died in an accident in 1987 The Squalo isn’t a Ferrari, but it is heavily influenced by Lyon’s beloved Colombo V12 cars. An anonymous London-based designer has produced what looks like an updated 250 SWB with more modern proportions and far better ingress/egress than an original but using many of the Colombo-era components, including engines and gearboxes, that GTO makes already.

Extract from Jean Todt, Ferrari’s most successful team principal, “When we speak about the difference in perceptions between Ferrari from the inside and Ferrari from the outside, my experience developed over the years. But when I arrived, people had no faith in me because I was French; I had no experience in F1, so they thought, ‘Okay, he’s coming for one or two years, to make some money and leave.’ But then, over the years, they realized that I was focused because I was in the factory day and night with the team, and I was really putting in all the effort.We call it the laboratory,” says Enrico Galliera, Ferrari’s commercial chief and the man who oversees the Corse Clienti programme (Ferrari’s arm that will sell you anything that’s not a road car, including old F1 cars) in which the XX cars sit. I also think that after the 2021 season where we've been working very well and reset it a little bit from 2020, that was a difficult season, we have been working in the right direction and in the right way. And this gives me the confidence that we'll have a competitive car for 2023."