Ready, set, jet: Italy to pit F-35B fighter jet against Ferrari SF90 in ground race

The Italian Navy plans to find out whether one of its F-35B fighter jets can outrace a Ferrari SF90 on the ground. The unusual matchup is set for next month at the Navy’s air base in Grottaglie, in southern Italy.

Fabio Barone, who holds seven speed records in a Ferrari, will drive the SF90 against the jet. “We are used to getting a result, but this will be tough,” he said. A Navy spokesman confirmed the race will go ahead.

Two races planned

The first race, scheduled for October 11, will run 1,640 feet (500 meters) down an aluminum runway the Navy’s F-35Bs normally use for landing. The F-35B will take off at the end of the course.

Barone said the Ferrari typically accelerates from zero to 62 mph (100 km/h) in 2.8 seconds, but special engine tuning will trim that to 2.6 seconds. That will let the car hit roughly 205 mph (330 km/h) over the course and finish it in 8 to 9 seconds. “With that acceleration, I will face 2.2g, meaning 140 kilograms (about 309 pounds) of pressure,” Barone said. He added that the jet will start slower but carries far more raw power.

A second race will stretch about 1.7 miles (2.8 kilometers) across asphalt and aluminum surfaces. The F-35B will take over after the first 500 meters and finish the course in flight, at an altitude of roughly 66 feet (20 meters).

Running side by side

Barone, 54, said the car and jet will share a single runway about 115 feet (35 meters) wide, leaving only about 49 feet (15 meters) between them at points. “We will be very close,” he said, adding that driving over the aluminum plates lining the runway will add vibration to the challenge.

Asked why he wanted to race a fighter jet rather than another car, Barone pointed to a precedent. “Everyone can race against another car, and this is a chance to put on a show,” he said. “Additionally, Michael Schumacher did it.”

A familiar rivalry

In 2003, the former Formula One champion drove a Ferrari F1 car against an Italian Air Force Eurofighter at Grosseto air base, drawing a crowd of 50,000. The Eurofighter won races over 900 meters and 1,200 meters without ever leaving the ground. Schumacher took a 600-meter race, however, reaching 183 mph (294 km/h) and finishing in 9.6 seconds, edging the jet by two-tenths of a second.

Barone has raced against Italian Navy hardware before. Last year, he drove a Ferrari along the flight deck of the Navy’s Trieste carrier, reaching 102 mph (164 km/h) over about 656 feet (200 meters) before braking hard to avoid going off the end of the ship.