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How Ferrari’s F1 Drivers Are Exempted From One of Its Very Peculiar Rule

Published 11/27/2021, 9:10 AM EST

For many, especially Italians, it is a dream to land a job in Scuderia Ferrari. Imagine how fascinating it would be to work amongst one of the finest groups of people, who not only play a pivotal role in the functioning of road cars but also the teams in F1 and other series.

One might think such people associated with Ferrari have a better crack at owning a Ferrari road car at a discounted price. Well, here’s the painful truth – they don’t. Ferrari follows a rather strange rule that states none of the employees have the freedom to even buy one of their cars.

Why you might ask? Well, as we all know, the Italian automotive company usually rolls out only a limited number of road cars in a year. Hence, they have the stringent rule of prioritizing the clients over the employees.

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What did the Ferrari chief say?

In an interview with The Drive, Ferrari’s chief marketing and commercial officer, Enrico Galliera, elaborated on the rule that forbids their own employees from owning a Ferrari car.

“The philosophy is that with such limited production and clients waiting so long to get their car, it’s not nice if the car is delivered to employees. It is clients first,” he said.

The rule is quite harsh on the employees despite being reasonable enough. Imagine working in a Ferrari factory, able to watch the cars roll out every single day but not being able to own any of them. Ouch indeed!

Exception for F1 drivers?

Drivers like Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz are basically Ferrari’s employees too. So, does this stringent rule apply to the duo as well? The answer is no.

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Interestingly, there is an exception for the Formula 1 drivers, who persistently carry the spotlight from the fans and the media, more like public-facing figures.

It would be quite awkward to spot a Ferrari racing driver driving around in a Mercedes or a Honda. Hence, the company allows their drivers to own a Ferrari road car, but without any discounts at full price.

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Of course, not all the employees, master engineers, and technicians work at Maranello just to own a Ferrari car. But, do you think forbidding them from even taking an interest in buying a Ferrari is fair?

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Written by:

Rohit Kumar is an F1 author at EssentiallySports. He has been an ardent follower of the racing series since 2007, with his love for the sport coinciding with his love for Kimi Raikkonen. He is also an ardent follower of Sebastian Vettel and Aston Martin Racing.

How Ferrari’s F1 Drivers Are Exempted From One of Its Very Peculiar Rule

What did the Ferrari chief say?

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Exception for F1 drivers?