A Ferrari by any other name...is still a Ferrari

January 30th, 2013 (F1plus/Ernie Black).- Scuderia Ferrari have certainly taken some criticism in recent years because of their naming convention, or rather, lack thereof, of their F1 cars.

William Shakespeare wrote an interesting line in his Romeo And Juliet (II,ii,1-2) that pretty much relates.

Juliet:
"What is in a name? That which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet."

Let's take a quick look back at the names since the year 2000; 2000 / F1-2000, 2001 / F2001, F2002, 2003 / F2003-GA, 2004 / F2004, 2005 / F2005, 2006 / 248 F1, 2007 / F2007, 2008 / F2008, 2009 / F60, 2010 / F10, 2011 / Ferrari 150° Italia (F150 Originally), 2012 / F2012.

Their new challenger to be revealed on February 1st has been named the F138. The name actually has a purpose. The number 13 reflects the current year and the number 8 reflects the number of cylinders. The importance lies in the fact that 2013 will likely be the last ever year of V8 engines in Formula One. A sad thought for any true petrol head. As it was when we lost V12s and V10s in F1.

If Ferrari is guilty of anything, it's certainly a lack of consistence. From my view as a poet, I don't really see a problem. They could name the car anything they want. Nowhere is it written that an F1 car must conform to a predetermined alphanumeric code as far as I know. Historically, Ferrari has never had a steady naming convention, so why is the media all over them now?

I understand why Ferrari renamed their car in 2011. Ford could have let it go, it's not that anyone could ever mistaken a Ferrari Formula One car for a Ford pickup truck. How no one at Ferrari realized that the F150 is a Ford pickup truck, that holds the title of best selling vehicle globally in its class however, is beyond me.

This is different. The Italian team is not stepping on anyone's toes, the numbers have a purpose and to be honest, it’s quite creative. Let's face it; most of us are going to refer to the car as a Ferrari anyway.

To paraphrase the great William Shakespeare, I say, A Ferrari By Any Other Name...Is Still A Ferrari