Scuderia Ferrari Ditches Race Cars For Ventilators

Scuderia Ferrari knows how to get the heart racing, but their latest effort targets an entirely different set of organs.

We’re talking about lungs as the company has joined a long list of automakers working on ventilators to combat the coronavirus pandemic.

Created in partnership with the Italian Institute of Technology (IIT), the ventilator is codenamed the FI5. The first letters represent the initials of both firms, while the number signifies the ventilator went from a “clean sheet of paper” to a fully functioning prototype in just five weeks.

Also Read: Ford To Build 50,000 Ventilators In Next 100 Days As Battle Against COVID-19 Heats Up

According to Ferrari, the project began with a call from IIT and their desire to make ventilators readily accessible to help hard hit Italy and the rest of the world. As a result, work began on the FI5 which is billed as a reliable, versatile and easy-to-use ventilator that has been designed to “meet the typical demands of medium intensive care.”

Since time and cost is of the essence, the ventilator was created using readily available materials. Scuderia Ferrari engineers handled the design work, while ITT sourced materials and created the software to control the device. The company says there were five phases to the project, but they strove to make the ventilator safe and reliable.

The first prototype was assembled last week and it “sailed through all the functionality tests.” While both firms are looking at ways to improve the device, they have open sourced the project to help save as many lives as possible. There’s no word on when we might see them in hospitals, but Ferrari noted companies in Italy, Mexico and the United States have been in contact about certifying and distributing the ventilator.

According to Scuderia Ferrari Team Principal Mattia Binotto, “The challenge of COVID-19 was one we wanted to take on.” He went on to say the project represents the “very essence of what makes a Formula 1 team and more importantly, all the characteristics that make Ferrari special; its passion, its creativity and its desire to improve.”