Keep an eye on the royal park next month — Ferrari looks set to roll into Monza with a nod to Niki.
Italian outlet Auto Racer reports the Scuderia is preparing a “double tribute” for its home grand prix to mark 50 years since Niki Lauda clinched his first World Championship in 1975. While Maranello isn’t confirming anything yet, the whispers point to a retro look inspired by the 312T — the car Lauda used to seal the title on Ferrari turf.
Hints have been dropping. During the summer break, Ferrari ran a social media retelling of Lauda’s ’75 Italian GP, signing off with a clip of Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc and the line: “Monza 2025: Coming soon.” Leclerc, who knows exactly how Monza changes a Ferrari driver, says in the video: “When I got to Monza, it was different.” Hamilton, now in scarlet for the first time at the temple of speed, adds: “The tifosi are just… you see them there in the biggest and fullest force. It’s such a privilege and an honour to be able to be racing for this team.”
If the tribute stretches to a one-off livery and period-flavoured team kit, it would fit Ferrari’s recent Monza habit. In 2022 there was the splash of yellow for the company’s 75th anniversary. In 2023 came a nod to the Le Mans triumph. Last year, rather than repainting the car, Ferrari leaned into black overalls and special helmets to salute carbon fibre’s impact on F1. And earlier this season the team partnered with title sponsor HP on a Miami special — so the appetite for a one-off look is there.
Lauda’s first crown remains one of Ferrari’s defining chapters. Third place at Monza in ’75, on the day Clay Regazzoni won, put the Austrian out of reach of Emerson Fittipaldi and Carlos Reutemann. Lauda then withstood the harrowing 1976 accident to come back and win again in 1977, before adding a third title with McLaren in 1984. He died in 2019, but his influence never left the paddock — not least at Mercedes, where he helped recruit Hamilton, who memorably ran a Lauda tribute helmet at Monaco that year.
The emotional through-line to Hamilton’s first Italian GP as a Ferrari driver is obvious. Whether the team goes full 312T throwback or keeps it subtle, expect Monza to feel like a Lauda weekend — louder, redder, and deeply personal for the tifosi. As ever with Ferrari, the styling might be the story on Thursday. By Sunday, they’ll hope the result is too.
