Ferrari’s Technological Innovations Part 15: The Revolutionary Electro-Hydraulic Gearbox in Formula 1

In the racing world, there are legends and facts. Often, legends prevail, convincing us that a certain innovation is tied to a specific person and historic moment, like Nigel Mansell’s victory in the 1989 Brazilian Grand Prix with the Ferrari 640 F1 equipped with the revolutionary electro-hydraulic gearbox (the one operated via paddle shifters and without a clutch pedal). This gearbox, now used by all single-seaters and an increasing number of road cars, was neither an idea nor a creation of Barnard. The ingenious English designer made one crucial decision: to build a single-seater that could not be reverted to the old manual system in case of issues.

This decision was influenced by what happened in 1981, eight years earlier, when Mauro Forghieri, Ferrari’s technical director at the time, conceived and handcrafted this type of gearbox. He had to work almost in secret since Enzo Ferrari hadn’t approved the project budget, and costs were tightly controlled. The result, however, was remarkable.