At the wheel of a 1,000 hp Ferrari SF90 Stradale and on the launch deck of the Trieste, the most innovative and technological vessel of the Italian Navy, the Roman driver today in Civitavecchia improved by 12 km/h the speed limit of 152 km/h he himself set on July 13th of last year in Taranto aboard the aircraft carrier Garibaldi.
A never-ending spectacle: Fabio Barone, the Roman pilot and holder of six Guinness World Records, achieved his seventh victory with a 205-meter sprint on the flight deck of the Italian Navy’s Nave Trieste (236 meters in total), beating both himself and the speed record aboard a ship he had already held since last year in Taranto. And if on July 13, 2024, Barone had reached 152 km/h on the aircraft carrier Garibaldi, today in Civitavecchia aboard the jewel of Italian technology and engineering, Nave Trieste, at the wheel of his Ferrari SF90 Stradale—for the occasion, sporting a specially designed livery dedicated to the Navy with the motto of Nave Trieste “Fulge super mare”—he reached a shocking top speed of 164 km/h, a full 12 km/h above the previous limit.
The 1,000 hp Maranello-based racing car, prepared by Team Capristo, astonished with its responsiveness and power. It managed to exploit a good portion of the Trieste’s deck before stopping with great agility upon reaching the finish line, to the applause of everyone present, including the ship’s crew.
Crowds gather on Trieste’s deck, awaiting Barone’s blistering Ferrari record.
This is a huge step forward compared to the record set a year ago, which also managed to break by a full 7 km/h the previous limit held since September 3, 2019, by Shea Holbrook, an American pilot who, aboard another aircraft carrier, the USS Hornet, had managed to reach a top speed of 145 km/h (90.58 mph) driving a Porsche Taycan, the German electric sedan.
A beaming Barone shared his joy after setting the record: “I thank the Italian Navy and Captain Francesco Marzi, Commander of the Trieste, who welcomed us aboard like family, both today and during the trials. It’s a unique, unforgettable day on the most innovative ship in the world, with a new, exceptional milestone achieved. It’s the culmination of nine months of work, a dream come true after so many sacrifices. Everything went well, and it’s a fitting reward for the work of a team that loves each other.”
Commander Marzi was also proud: “Everything was a complete success: from the Ferrari SF90 Stradale, a symbol of Italian technology, to the social inclusion event. The Trieste represents all of this: innovation, Made in Italy, but also what the men and women of the Navy do every day for the community.”
For Fabio Barone, president of the “Passione Rossa” club for 26 years, this is his seventh Guinness World Record (following those in China, on the Tianmen Mountain Road, in Romania on the Transfagarasan, in Morocco in the Dades Valley, at the North Cape, when he beat even the Google time starting from Rome, and in Greece, at the Sanctuary of Meteora, in addition to last year’s record), a double satisfaction. Personal satisfaction, for the record itself and for having achieved it by extolling and highlighting two of our country’s excellences.
On the one hand, the Nave Trieste, the largest vessel available to the Italian Navy, and on the other, the Ferrari SF90 Stradale, an all-wheel-drive hybrid racing car powered by a twin-turbo V8 assisted by three electric motors.
But the most astonishing thing about Barone’s feat lies in the record and in having lowered a human limit, so much so. And to better understand the scale of the feat achieved by Barone on a decidedly high-tech stage, we must consider the safety margin that the Trieste bridge nevertheless allowed, with its 236-meter-long span. However, in the record, it was only used for 205. This work of precision and excellent management capability was guaranteed by a team, Barone’s, led, as was the case last year, by an incredible figure like Modesto Menabue, with 40 years of experience at Ferrari (from 1978 to 2019), 520 Formula 1 GPs, and a monstrous experience as an engineer with almost all the most significant drivers in the Circus, from Prost to Berger, up to Irvine and Raikkonen, and above all the Schumacher, Alonso, and Vettel trio.
By Mario Masciullo
BIO
My career in civil aviation took flight in 1960, beginning with British European Airways (BEA). In 1971, I joined East African Airways (EAA), and shortly thereafter, I was honoured to be selected as one of the qualified candidates for the managerial role at Malaysia & Singapore Airlines (MAS).
In 1972, following the decision by the Malaysian and Singaporean governments to separate the airline into two national carriers, I continued my professional journey with Singapore Airlines. I proudly served as the Marketing Manager for Italy, Greece, and Malta until 1987.
With a journalist’s license I had previously acquired, I decided to transition fully into journalism. My debut was with the Milan-based press agency Milanopress, and I have continued to write and collaborate with both Italian and international press ever since.
I remain active in the field and am a proud member of the Foreign Press Club in Italy, headquartered in Rome.
