Charles Leclerc is arguably a Top 3 talent in terms of anyone who’s ever gotten to race for Scuderia Ferrari in Formula 1. Personally, I have him behind Michael Schumacher and Niki Lauda only, and ahead of Fernando Alonso, Kimi Raikkonen, and even Alberto Ascari. When you’re that young and that good, it’s worth certain considerations.
Speaking of considerations, Ferrari recently built a bespoke supercar specifically for the Monegasque driver, and at first glance, it’s not just the best-looking modern-day Italian exotic we’ve seen recently, but maybe of all time. It makes Carlos Sainz’s Ferrari look like a Corolla, spec-wise. Let’s analyze what’s going on.
Leclerc was spotted getting into his new Ferrari a few days ago in Monaco, and after picking our jaws off the floor, we then started taking it all in. This is an 812 Competizione A, or Aperta (because it’s a convertible), wearing a color that we’ve only ever seen on one other vehicle – ever. So yeah, super rare.
The color is called Bianco Ondo Marina Opaco, and it’s a matte white with a light blue tint, sort of a frozen blue-ish white. Just unbelievable. The way it mixes and matches with every single carbon fiber element on the car is amazing. Leclerc even went with a set of black multi-spoke wheels for good measure, and of course the Scuderia badge had to be yellow for additional contrast. Last, but not least, his race number is “tattooed” onto the fenders, just so everyone knows whose supercar this is.
As for the only other place where we’ve seen Bianco Ondo Marina before, that would be on a bespoke Monza SP1. Leclerc definitely knew what he was doing when he opted for this hue. Don’t get me wrong, I love the 812 Competizione and Competizione A in Abu Dhabi Blue, or Tour de France Blue, and especially Rosso Le Mans Opaco, but this colorway is on a completely different level.
Meanwhile, Carlos Sainz’s Ferrari, which is also an 812 Competizione (just not the Aperta variant), is painted in a somewhat generic shade of gray, a sort of matte gray, which makes it look kind of like a “press car”. The type of vehicle you send out for photo shoots, as opposed to something you configure for your VIP clientele. It looks too much like Grigio Titanio, which is a “regular” color offered by Ferrari.
So, what makes the 812 Competizione special in terms of performance? That would be its upgraded 6.5-liter V12 engine, rated at 819 horsepower and 510 lb-ft of torque. This car is a direct successor to the F12tdf and the 599 GTO before it, and only a select few customers can get their hands on it – Ferrari said that it would only build 999 units of the Competizione and 599 units of the Competizione A, making Leclerc’s ride all the more special.
Consider this: the 812 Competizione A is nearly as rare as the Monza SP, itself limited to 500 units.
Come next year, Leclerc will drive another very special Ferrari in the new SF-24 Formula 1 car, which will be unveiled on February 13. Hopefully it will be good enough so that both Leclerc and Sainz can take the fight to Red Bull and make the 2024 F1 championship a more closely disputed affair.
