It seems difficult to believe, but the Ferrari LaFerrari is almost six years old. In the modern era six years is a veritable lifetime, so today the Italian sportscar manufacturer pulled the wraps off its latest hypercar, called the Ferrari SF90 Stradale.

You can read our driving review of the iconic Ferrari F40 here.

Road-going F1

If you are an F1 fan you will know that the Scuderia’s 2019 contender is called the SF90, to denote 90 years of the company. Stradale is Italian for road-going, so this is, in name anyway, a road-going version of its Formula One car.

When we shared a leaked image via our Instagram account this morning, some questioned whether it was the F8 Tributo, but it was, in fact, the SF90 Stradale. Judging by the design the newcomer must have spent lots of time in the company’s wind tunnel. There are lots of slats, vents and shapes, such as the engine cover area, that give the car a futuristic design. The aero-aggressive look is quite evident on the front end and in the massive diffuser fitted to the rear bumper.

Under the hood

The Ferrari SF90 is only the second hybrid model from the brand, after the LaFerrari. It has a twin-turbocharged 3,9-litre V8 motor that delivers 574 kW and 800 N.m (900 N.m on overboost) of torque. It is based on Ferrari’s award-winning engine as found in the 488 GTB, and in this guise revs to 8 000 r/min.

The SF90 Stradale is equipped with three electric motors (two for the front wheels and third attached to the petrol engine) capable of generating a total of 162 kW. A Li-ion battery provides power to all three motors for a pure electric range of 25-kilometre as a front-wheel-drive car. On their own, the two independent front motors can provide a top speed of 135 km/h. Total system power is rated at 736 kW.

As two electric motors power the front wheels, the Ferrari SF90 Stradale is the first Ferrari sports car to be equipped with 4WD. With a launch control program dialed into the eight-speed dual-clutch transmission, the benchmark standing start sprint from 0-100km/h is dispatched in 2,5 sec; 0-200km/h takes just 6,7 seconds. Max speed is rated at 340 km/h.

Real downforce and track credentials

In a first for brand, buyers can choose between the standard car and a version with a more sports-oriented specification. The racier Assetto Fiorano specification includes special GT racing-derived Multimatic shock absorbers, extra lightweight materials such as carbon-fibre (door panels, underbody) and titanium (springs, entire exhaust line), resulting in a mass-saving of 30 kg.

Another difference is the high downforce carbon-fibre rear spoiler which generates 390 kg of downforce at 250 km/h. The Assetto Fiorano includes Michelin Pilot Sport Cup2 tyres designed specifically to improve performance on the track in the dry. They feature a softer compound and fewer grooves than the tyres provided as standard.

Ferrari says that this is the quickest road car to lap its own Fiorano test track setting a time of 79 seconds. To help achieve this time the Ferrari SF90 uses torque vectoring as well as variable aerodynamics.

Interior treatment

Ferrari has employed lessons learnt from its racing activities to help design the interior of the SF90. Driver focus is key in such a powerful car so information and controls are placed within the driver’s reach, but also grouped in order of importance.

You can learn more about the intricacies, too detailed to go into here, of the Ferrari SF90 Stradale dedicated site.