On the occasion of Milano Design Week, Ferrari unveiled at its downtown Milan store the livery of Hypersail, the 100-foot flying ocean monohull, undoubtedly one of the most advanced projects ever developed in the offshore sailing sector. It is not merely a stylistic exercise, but the synthesis of a design path that integrates engineering, aerodynamics and design into a single vision. Hypersail was conceived as an open innovation platform, developed by the Ferrari team together with the Ferrari Design Studio led by Flavio Manzoni and naval architect Guillaume Verdier, both present in Milan along with the Ferrari Tech Team under the guidance of Matteo Lanzavecchia and Marco Guglielmo Ribigini, sail and appendages specialist Glenn Ashby, and the new Project Leader, sailor Enrico Voltolini, who acknowledged the work carried out in the initial phase of the project by Giovanni Soldini.
With its 30 metres in length, 20 metres in beam and a 40-metre mast, Hypersail introduces a pioneering approach to offshore foiling. The choice of a monohull stems from the pursuit of maximum aerodynamic and hydrodynamic efficiency, with the aim of reducing drag and ensuring high but consistent average speeds during long ocean passages. The yacht is not constrained by the America’s Cup box rule, although at a larger scale it recalls the AC75 concept, favouring a balance between speed and control necessary for real and prolonged offshore conditions.
One of the key elements of the project is energy self-sufficiency. Hypersail is designed to autonomously generate the energy required for onboard systems through renewable sources. Approximately 100 square metres of solar panels are integrated into the deck and topsides, with a production capacity of around 20 kW. These are complemented by energy recovery systems linked to wind and the yacht’s own motion. Flight control is entrusted to systems derived from Ferrari’s experience in sportscars, with active appendages ensuring stability and precision.
The livery as a design element
From a design perspective, the Ferrari Design Studio applied the same method used for cars: starting from function to arrive at form. As highlighted by Flavio Manzoni, the process is based on continuous interaction between designers and engineers, transforming strict constraints into formal opportunities. This approach has already been tested on highly complex vehicles such as the 499P Hypercar, winner of three consecutive Le Mans races, or track-only programmes like the FXX-K.
In the case of Hypersail, one of the main challenges was integrating solar panels into the complex surfaces of the deckhouse, also inspired by the 499P endurance car, as well as into the deck and topsides, resolved through joint work on form and graphics.
The livery responds to both technical and identity requirements. The dark deck, in the new Grigio Hypersail, integrates the solar panels, ensuring visual uniformity alternating with exposed carbon elements, while the new Giallo Fly introduces a distinctive feature. Yellow, historically Ferrari’s second signature colour and the colour of Modena, forms the background to the prancing horse shield and becomes a flash of colour running across the hull. Stylistically, the livery explicitly references iconic Ferrari cars: the colour contrast recalls the Ferrari 512 BB, while details and proportions evoke models such as LaFerrari, the Monza SP1 barchetta and the 499P Hypercar.
The project is now entering its operational phase under the responsibility of Enrico Voltolini, with structural testing, development of control systems and the formation of the sailing team. Ferrari aims to bring together international expertise from offshore sailing and the America’s Cup, with the goal of redefining the limits of offshore navigation.
Giuliano Luzzatto