Ferrari enters world of sailing with Hypersail project
Ferrari’s recent success in hypercar endurance racing has provided the inspiration for its latest project - Hypersail, a 100ft racing monohull prototype set to launch in 2026.
The venture into competitive sailing was announced at the beginning of 2024 and sees Giovanni Soldin, with over 30 years of experience in yachting, join the Prancing Horse as team principal. The project combines Ferrari engineers and specialised nautical experts, with French naval architect Guillaume Verdier designing the 100ft yacht prototype. Verdier’s design incorporates the use of a canting keel as the support for one of the foils, along with a foil on the rudder and, alternately, the two lateral foils.
“Hypersail is a new challenge that pushes us to go beyond our boundaries and expand our technological horizons. At the same time, it perfectly aligns with Ferrari’s tradition, drawing inspiration from our Hypercar, three-time winner of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Designing a yacht for offshore racing is perhaps the ultimate expression of endurance,” said Ferrari Chairman John Elkann
Entirely self-sufficient
Ferrari says the yacht will be the first of its size in the world to be entirely energy self-sufficient and has been designed to operate exclusively using renewable energy sources, including solar, wind and kinetic energy. All the power needed to run the various systems and on-board computers, and instruments must be generated autonomously while under sail.
The Hypersail yacht has been designed to race for extended periods with ‘no stopovers, no pit stops, and no external support of any kind’. To achieve this, Ferrari will transfer technology and ideas from its sports cars and create an automotive-derived flight control system that incorporates the correct aerodynamic and structural calculations.
The project will be full of original ideas and solutions, and has led to the Prancing Horse filing nine patents, with the finishing touches being applied to another six.
“Technology that has never been seen before”
“I’m happy and honoured to be part of this adventure,” said Giovanni Soldini, Team Principal of Hypersail.
“An exciting challenge, backed by a truly unique team that brings together Ferrari’s excellence and the expertise of specialists in ocean sailing design. The meeting of different cultures and advanced technologies is enabling us to build a yacht that is revolutionary in many respects.
From a nautical perspective, it’s innovative in both its structure and how it will fly; on the systems front, Ferrari’s contribution is driving the development of onboard control technology that has never been seen before. To prepare as well as we can for the variability and force of the phenomena and conditions encountered at sea, our top priority is to strike the right balance between the pursuit of extreme performance and maximum reliability.”
Construction is currently underway in Italy and is expected to be completed in 2026. The Hypersail will then undergo sea trials to prepare it for the rigours of competitive racing.
words: Mike Booth
pictures: Ferrari