Flying Ferrari

Since word of a Ferrari sailing team emerged, rumours have been rife – was this a prelim to an America’s Cup campaign, or perhaps a foray into the F50s of the SailGP circuit? The answer, it turns out, is neither.

Enter Ferrari Hypersail – a 30-metre, full-foiling, ocean-going sailing monohull designed to break ocean records. The rig stands at 40 metres, the beam foils – similar to those on AC75s – rack the beam out to 20 metres.

Designed to fly stably on three contact points, its unique innovation links one foil to a canting keel, with the other support points being a rudder and, alternately, the two lateral foils.

It will operate exclusively using renewable energy sources, including solar, wind and kinetic energy. There is no combustion engine on board, and all the power required to run the control and motion systems for the foils, keel and rudder, as well as the full suite of on-board computers and instruments, must be generated autonomously while under sail.

Speed? Unknown at this point – but the point is that this is a yacht that is being designed from the outset to be resilient enough to tackle true ocean conditions. And who doesn’t want to foil round Cape Horn at 40-plus knots?

The yacht is being designed and developed from the ground up by Ferrari’s inhouse team, alongside naval architecture by Guillaume Verdier – whose CV ranges from the first wining ETNZ AC75 in 2011 to the supermaxi Comanche and countless other racing monos and multis – and the sailing prowess of Giovanni Soldini.

It’s a particularly good fit for Ferrari, whose expertise in aero and foil surfaces in its street and racing cars, as well as its experience with control systems and hybrid power, mean the team has serious potency.

So why not America’s Cup? “I think this [Ferrari Hypersail project] is much more exciting than the America’s Cup,” says Elkann. “There are no rules that have to be adhered to, and that’s what has been so exciting about this project.”

There’s serious input from Ferrari into Ferrari Hypersail – naturally, the numbers are closely guarded, but there are 20 people from Ferrari who are full time on the Hypersail project, and a further 80 lending support as and when.

The extensive design work has drawn parallels with the Italian marque’s approach to designing super- and hypercars, and Soldini and the naval architecture team has also had access to an adapted version of Ferrari’s simulator on which they test car designs – not to mention the extraordinary facilities available on-site, including the wind tunnel and supercomputing clusters.

“This is a new page, a new project, and new chapter – it’s what Ferrari do best,” Elkann enthuses.

“We’re taking Ferrari from the track and road to the sea and sky, and this is pushing us to go forward. The Ferrari Hypersail yacht has incredible tech specs but also beautiful design. And why sailing? Because we couldn’t not do it,” he adds. “It’s our vision, our values, our passion and our skills, making the impossible possible.”

“It is a very ambitious project,” Soldini adds. “We chose a monohull because I have a lot of experience with that hull form, and the latest America’s Cup yachts are monohulls – there are aero advantages. But making a mono fly is truly a challenge!”

The yacht will feature lifting foils on either side with flaps, plus a T-shape canting keel with wing and elevator, and a rudder with wing and elevator. The yacht is being designed to be self-sufficient on renewable energy, drawing power from solar and also from the wind – the team has already developed a wind generator which has been granted a patent, one of six patents so far that have come from the project.

Ferrari said 20 people were working full time on the project, with another 80 to 90 involved, and there would be some technology transfer from the sportscar side – mostly the F80 supercar unveiled in October 2024.

It is currently in build in Italy and is expected to launch and sea-trial in 2026 although no specific date has been given yet. Whenever it does, however, it will be sure to set the sailing world alight as Ferrari swaps prancing horses for white ones.

“We bring the enthusiasm, and we embrace the challenge,” Elkann concludes. “We wanted to defy an environment we did not know very well. It’s a dream that is coming true.”

ferrari.com/en-EN/hypersail