Sailing-Ferrari unveils Hypersail project led by Soldini

MARANELLO, Italy :Ferrari announced its entry into the world of sailing on Wednesday with a Hypersail project led by Italian yachtsman Giovanni Soldini that it said would blend racing tradition with technological innovation.

The world's first 100-foot monohull ocean racing yacht with a foil on the keel has been designed by French naval architect Guillaume Verdier and is being built at an undisclosed location in Italy with a launch scheduled for 2026.

"It perfectly aligns with Ferrari’s tradition, drawing inspiration from our Hypercar, three-time winner of the 24 Hours of Le Mans," said Ferrari Chairman John Elkann.

"Designing a yacht for offshore racing is perhaps the ultimate expression of endurance.

Ferrari are Formula One's most glamorous and historic team, present since the start of the championship in 1950, but their more recent success has been at Le Mans where they have won the last three editions.

Ferrari said the prototype yacht would have three points of contact to stabilise its flight, including a canting keel to support one of the foils, and would also be the first in the world to be entirely energy self-sufficient.

Elkann ruled out any involvement in an America's Cup challenge, with the 2027 edition to be held in the southern city of Naples.

"(The) America's Cup is regulated and this boat is thought to go beyond rules," he said. "This project gives us the chance to experiment in new areas."

Ferrari gave no details about how much the project would cost, but Chief Financial Officer Antonio Picca Piccon said the investment was planned and there would be no substantial impact on capital expenditure.

"The boat will be launched next year and then we'll start a debugging phase which will hopefully last a short time,"