Ferrari to run special Schumacher tribute livery at Monza 30 years after his first win

Ferrari will run a special Michael Schumacher tribute livery on both its SF-26s at the Italian Grand Prix at Monza, the team confirmed, with the cars of Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc set to carry dedicated designs honouring the seven-time world champion.

The timing carries significant weight. This year’s Italian GP falls 30 years after Schumacher’s first victory with Ferrari in 1996 and 20 years after his final win with the team in 2006. In between, the German driver delivered five world championships and 71 race victories — a decade of dominance that remains the most successful era in the Scuderia’s history.

Full details of the tribute initiatives planned at Monza are yet to be made official, with Ferrari indicating announcements will follow in the coming days. The livery itself is confirmed, however, and forms part of a broader series of events the team is organising to mark Schumacher’s legacy at the circuit known as the Temple of Speed.

Schumacher, now 56, has been living away from public life since suffering severe head injuries in a skiing accident at Méribel, France, on 29 December 2013. His condition has never been disclosed publicly, with his wife Corinna and family maintaining his care and privacy.

The tribute arrives at a charged moment in the 2025 season. Ferrari heads to Monza also planning to debut an upgraded power unit that the team believes will meaningfully close the gap to Mercedes. The championship picture adds further drama: Hamilton sits second in the drivers’ standings, level with George Russell, but behind leader Kimi Antonelli — setting up a home-crowd battle between the Italian driver and the red national team.

The convergence of the Schumacher anniversary, a new engine, and a tight title fight makes Monza one of the most anticipated rounds of the season for the tifosi.