Today was given over to free practice for the Ferrari Challenge, with four 60 minute sessions run over the course of the day. There are over 60 entrants from 24 countries and four continents taking part, divided into two groups – Trofeo Pirelli Europe and Asia Pacific, Coppa Shell Europe and North America.

Today’s times don’t actually count for anything apart from giving a rough idea of what to expect when things get serious tomorrow. In the morning, there will be two qualifying sessions, while the afternoon features the first two races of the weekend.

Tomorrow is not only about racing, because also taking to the track will be the historic single-seaters run by the F1 Clienti department and the 12 cylinder cars from the XX, FXX and 599XX programmes.

Last minute preparations are in full swing in the paddock to welcome the guests that will flock to the circuit as from Saturday, the first day the event is open to the public. There is obviously great excitement surrounding the arrival of Felipe Massa, who will be part of the Scuderia Ferrari show on Sunday. This will be the last opportunity for the fans to applaud Felipe at the wheel of a Prancing Horse car in Italy, given that the end of this season also brings the curtain down on a ten year relationship between the team and the Brazilian. During that time he has reached second place in the list of drivers who have competed in the most Grands Prix at the wheel of a Maranello-built car.