Ferrari unveils Hypersail: innovation,performance and efficiency
Ferrari today unveils its new Ferrari Hypersail project, an unprecedented sporting challenge in the world of sailing that blends racing tradition with technological innovation. The name Hypersail honours Ferrari’s racing heritage and its Hypercars, the ultimate expression of performance in the realm of endurance.
Led by Team Principal Giovanni Soldini, Hypersail aims to establish an outstanding research and development platform focused on offshore sailing. To explore new frontiers in technology and innovation, the project draws upon the expertise of the Ferrari team, which, in close collaboration with specialised nautical experts, is directly involved in the entire cycle of conception, engineering, and testing.
The yacht, designed by French naval architect Guillaume Verdier, also represents a major nautical achievement: a groundbreaking 100-foot flying ocean racing monohull prototype that will stabilise its flight on three points of contact. Verdier’s most notable innovation is the use of a canting keel as the support for one of the foils, with the other two contact points being a foil on the rudder and, alternately, the two lateral foils.
The 100-foot yacht will also be the first of its size in the world to be entirely energy self-sufficient. Currently under construction in Italy, the yacht is scheduled to launch in 2026, after which it will undergo its initial sea trials.
“Hypersail is a new challenge that pushes us to go beyond our boundaries and expand our technological horizons. At the same time, it perfectly aligns with Ferrari’s tradition, drawing inspiration from our Hypercar, three-time winner of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Designing a yacht for offshore racing is perhaps the ultimate expression of endurance,” said Ferrari Chairman John Elkann. “Giovanni Soldini is a key pillar of this project, not only because of his achievements as a sailor but also his unmatched experience in yacht development and construction. The excellent teamwork between Ferrari and Guillaume Verdier is bringing into existence a unique boat that will fly across the oceans, representing a real opportunity for innovation in both the nautical and automotive worlds.”
“I’m happy and honoured to be part of this adventure,” said Giovanni Soldini, Team Principal of Hypersail.
“It’s an exciting challenge, backed by a truly unique team that brings together Ferrari’s excellence and the expertise of specialists in ocean sailing design. The meeting of different cultures and advanced technologies is enabling us to build a yacht that is revolutionary in many respects. From a nautical perspective, it’s innovative in both its structure and the way it will fly; on the systems front, Ferrari’s contribution is driving the development of on-board control technology never seen before. To prepare as best as we can for the variability and force of the phenomena and conditions encountered at sea, our top priority is to strike the right balance between the pursuit of extreme performance and maximum reliability.”
Open Innovation and Technology Transfer
To drive innovation and create value, the Hypersail project is rooted in open innovation, promoting close collaboration and the exchange of ideas and external expertise between Ferrari, its partners, and suppliers. This model is being applied in the development of systems in the fields of aerodynamics, energy efficiency, power management, and kinetic energy recovery.
Technology transfer from the world of Ferrari sports cars is also central: The yacht will sail with a flight control system developed from the brand’s automotive experience—employing aerodynamic and structural calculation processes designed to ensure both performance and safety for a monohull that will fly across oceans for extended periods, without stopovers, pit stops, or external support.
The pursuit of entirely original solutions for the nautical sector has already led to the filing of nine patents, with six more in development.
Notably, the innovation driven by the quest for maximum performance at sea is also contributing meaningfully to the evolution of Ferrari’s sports cars.
Energy Autonomy
The monohull is engineered to operate exclusively using renewable energy sources, including solar, wind, and kinetic energy. No combustion engine will be present on board. All power required to operate the yacht’s foil, keel, and rudder control and motion systems—as well as all onboard computers and instrumentation—must be self-generated while sailing.
Reconciling complete energy autonomy with the outstanding performance expected from a yacht of this scale, especially under variable and often extreme conditions, demands precise energy balancing and strict resource management. This has involved optimising the efficiency of every single component and energy generation system—a challenge that many previously considered impossible.
