After so many weekends spent working, this one was spent in a relaxed and informal mood in Maranello, as part of the pre-Christmas celebrations. Today at Maranello was finally party time and the work benches were metaphorically pushed to one side as one area in the factory was transformed into a welcoming venue for a lunch attended by all the staff of the Gestione Sportiva and representatives from the Gestione Industriale. Guests of honour were the five cars which have won the last five World Championships. Present of course were President Montezemolo and all the drivers; Michael Schumacher and Rubens Barrichello as well as the test drivers, Luca Badoer, Felipe Massa and Luciano Burti. In a relaxed atmosphere a toast was drunk to the recently concluded season and Christmas wishes were exchanged. In his personal message, President Montezemolo recalled the times when all the hard work did not always result in the same degree of satisfaction. “Anyway, we can always try again next year,” he joked at the end
of his speech.

After the lunch, the Ferrari President, along with Jean Todt and the drivers went to the Bologna Motor Show for the traditional “Caschi d’Oro” (golden helmets) awards. Jean Todt, President Montezemolo and Michael Schumacher collected the awards in recognition of victory in the Constructors’ and Drivers’ World Championships. In a hall packed with Ferrari Club flags from all over Italy, an additional award was also given to the Scuderia test drivers in recognition of their valuable contribution.

The evening ended at Palamalaguti di Bologna where once again there was a concert for all employees of the Ferrari Maserati Group. Those present were able to hear performers that included Andrea Bocelli and Antonello Venditti, while the role of MC fell to that friend of the Maranello marque, Gerry Scotti. Also on the bill, comedian Marco Della Noce in the role of “Oriano Ferrari,” a rather unlikely Scuderia mechanic.

Source: Ferrari