What will become of the Ferrari of the future? How to reconcile a tomorrow made up of cars that do everything themselves with the taste of driving? To understand this, we took part in the 1000 Miglia with an “autonomous driving” Ferrari, that is, with the maximum (for a Red) of the Adas systems, the Advanced Driver Assistance Systems. It is well known that such a modern car cannot participate in the historical re-enactment, reserved for cars produced until 1957, the last year of the real race, for this reason the “Tributo Ferrari Mille Miglia” was set up, which opens the possibility to 100 customers to precede the Red Arrow in a parade that is unique in the world. And here, in this context, in the stretch from Rome to Bologna, that of the “return” to Brescia, we tried the new Rome fully equipped with the latest Adas technologies.
Rome, the most futuristic Ferrari ever
On the Ferrari Roma, the definition of the interiors started from a complete redesign of the HMI (Human Machine Interface) which takes a leap forward starting from the new steering wheel designed according to the philosophy “Eyes on the road, hands on the wheel”. The full-digital instrument panel is protected by an anti-reflective lid that extends continuously from the dashboard. The on-board instrumentation is now fully digital and hides among the interior elements, especially when the car is off, giving an innovative look to the passenger compartment. By pressing the Engine Start button on the steering wheel, a start “ceremony” gradually involves all the digital components until the cockpit is completely switched on.
At what point is Ferrari
The Ferrari Roma allows – by fishing in the list of accessories – to enter the first category of driving assistance systems (Level 0: no automation; Level 1: assisted driving; Level 2: semi-autonomous driving; Level 3: semi-autonomous driving advanced; Level 4: highly automated driving; Level 5: fully automated driving) thanks to devices that one day – all set up in the system – will make it possible to operate unmanned cars.
The technique in detail
Let’s go into detail: on the Roma there are the adaptive Cruise Control (it maintains the cruising speed and the distance from the cars in front by itself), the Autonomous Emergency Braking systems (they brake the car by themselves or warn of imminent danger), the Lane Departure Warning (warn the driver when the car is about to leave the road) with Traffic Sign Recognition (automatic reading of road signs), Blind Spot Detection (blind spot control and danger warning), Rear Cross Traffic Alert (when exiting the parking lot , warns the driver of the presence of any cars, scooters, bicycles and pedestrians coming from the area outside the field of view) and Surround View Camera (a camera with a field of view that covers a complete circle on the horizontal plane of the car).
Sure, there are already level 2 cars on the market, but this is a Ferrari. A car conceived, designed and built to perform a task exactly opposite to that of the car that does all by itself. Here, at the center of everything, is the pilot. How can we – therefore – take it out of its ultimate goal, guide it?
The strategy
At Ferrari they have a very precise theory about it. In practice, it is a question of keeping – always and in any case – whoever sits behind the wheel at the center of everything. Leaving him in control of the car at all times. And, in fact, if you talk about “autonomous driving”, in Maranello they are horrified. That’s not the point.
The concept explained to us well, before departure, by Max Romani, Ferrari Head of HMI (Human Machine Interface), the man (more philosopher than engineer, then you will understand why …) who created the steering wheel of the Rome, the most hi -tech ever, the man who has the thankless task of modernizing the myth, of reconciling semi-autonomous driving and driving pleasure, electronics and mechanics. Which is the classic challenge between comfort and performance that Ferrari has always interpreted in a unique way with its extraordinary GTs, from the 250 Gte to the 250 GT Lusso up to today’s Rome.
“The core of the matter – says Romani – is to innovate, introduce contents, new functions, without going to impoverish the thrill of driving which remains the most important thing. Everything we do in the human machine interface is aimed at performance. Also understood as a driving sensation. The common thread is to try to distract the driver as little as possible because the contents that enter the cars must allow you to stay focused on driving. In summary, if I allow you to stay ‘focused’, I make you experience all the emotions. And so not only do you not get distracted from driving, but not even from the emotions themselves “.
We are almost to philosophy, but this is how the myth is realized. And after taking part in the “Ferrari Tribute to 1000 Miglia 2021” with Roma, the speech became very clear.
The philosophy
You already understand everything as soon as you sit behind the wheel. The classic red “start engine” button is gone, drowned in the lower part of the touch steering wheel. You blow out that part there and the twin-turbo V8 comes to life with a guttural, “full” sound that Ferrari fans know well. Everything as always? Not exactly. At the same time, a gigantic 16 ”digital instrument panel, the central display with 8.4” vertical screen and the new “passenger display” come to life here. A multimedia orgy that welcomes the driver with a spectacular 3D ballet of the silhouette of the Roma, the wording of the logo that appears and then disappears and then the virtual dashboard that can be configured at will with touch buttons on the steering wheel.
The revolution
Such a thing on a Ferrari had never been seen before. There are no more buttons (not even for the air conditioning or radio) and everything is controlled from the steering wheel or the touch screen. Right from the steering ring, touching some precise points of the spokes of the steering wheel or the center console.
“In an average car – explains Max Romani – there are more than 120 macro functions (radio, climate, etc.) with about 80 different interaction modes. Many, many. That’s why with the Ferraris of the future and with Roma we aim to never distract the driver, to let him use all these functions naturally ”. Sure, easy to say. Because everything only works as long as you become familiar with this new self-driving “language”. Yes, because at first glance the system appears very complex: there are no longer consolidated automatisms and you find nothing, absolutely nothing (from direction indicators to light controls) where you expect them to be, where they have always been.
The difficulties of the challenge
Here you pay the price of having to use a new technology. And Ferrari itself admits it: the learning curve on how to drive a Roma is longer, they have also found it with the test drivers, people who live there with the steering wheel in their hands …
But once you “understand” the logic of the system, everything seems very natural. Behind this very special steering wheel there is, in fact, a huge studio. There are months and months of driving, of km, to decide one position of a command rather than another. “We try to objectify the subjective – explains the philosopher Romani – because there is nothing more subjective than personal taste. Like the color. It is impossible to find something in this world that suits everyone. But if we manage to objectify the function, understood as an escape from distraction, then we have won. We struggle, in practice, to eliminate milliseconds of distraction. The touch pad steering wheel works like this. And it forces you to always keep your hands on the wheel ”.
But succeeding in the enterprise is certainly not easy. Because a Ferrari that drives alone is still a blasphemy in church for fans. “True, explains Romani, but I always give this example: when you are in a queue on the motorway, you are always in a queue even with a Ferrari. And therefore a semi-autonomous driving system that leads you to stop alone when you are in the column, is very useful. Let’s take away the boredom not the joy of driving ”.
And in fact, the proverbial vehicle dynamics management system remains on the Roma, the one that allows you to modulate the pleasure of driving to the limit: the “manettino” (the wheel that allows you to adjust the response level of the engine, gearbox, traction) is always in its place. The whole driver decides how, how much, and where he has to skid, brake, swerve or accelerate his Ferrari. To manage it as you want whether it is on the slopes or on the snow. The historic Ferrari mantra, “the thrill of driving is achieved with a unique mix” is respected. Even if today in this mix there are computers and sensors that sometimes take the situation in hand and decide what to do.
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