Ferrari CEO: E-fuels are "way forward" for ICE supercars

Ferrari boss Benedetto Vigna believes that environmentally friendly e-fuels and hydrogen powertrains could have a future in its models – and he wants to use motorsport to develop both technologies.

Vigna believes carbon-neutral fuel will “become more and more a reality”. He said: “We are working with partners for 2026 for carbon-neutral fuel in Formula 1 [as part of new technical rules] and usually technologies start out on the track and migrate to the road.

"We believe there is still a valid way forward for ICE cars and this is going to be supported by the development of carbon-neutral fuel.”

Vigna was speaking as Ferrari prepares to unwrap a long-awaited successor to the LaFerrari hypercar, which is tipped to use a similar hybrid drivetrain to the 296 and SF90 supercars, but with power ramped up to unprecedented levels.

It’s not yet known what type of engine the car uses – V6, V8 or V12 – but Vigna’s comments suggest it could have been engineered to run on e-fuels.

Codenamed F250, it is undergoing advanced on-road testing and is expected to be launched next year.

Asked about Ferrari’s interest in hydrogen technology, Vigna said the firm is researching the fuel type: “We do not see it before 2030. I believe as well as that, the racing space can always be the first place for adapting technologies.” But he added that “hydrogen could be a good option for the future”.

Vigna has previously suggested that Ferrari could use sustainable fuels as a means of keeping combustion-engined cars on sale past 2035, with the European Commission having proposed to allow ICE engines to remain on sale, so long as they can only run on e-fuel.

“ICE still has a lot to do”, he said last year, explaining that development and adoption of e-fuels was occurring quicker than anticipated, and they could serve as a “reinforcement” of the brand’s carbon-cutting strategy.