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.

The steering wheel of the 1989 Ferrari 640 F1 with the electro-hydraulic paddle gearbox. Note the yellow button for neutral and the green button for reverse.

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. The idea of allowing the driver to keep their hands on the wheel at all times, instead of shifting manually, came from a complex reality: turbocharged single-seaters, pioneered by Renault and later adopted by Ferrari, had a significant issue. Each gear change caused a sudden surge of power to the wheels, requiring the driver to correct these “whiplashes”, where free hands would be critical.

Mauro Forghieri envisioned the electro-hydraulic gearbox in 1981 to allow drivers to always keep their hands on the wheel.

During testing, the new gearbox proved excellent and reliable. Villeneuve completed 100 laps at Fiorano without any issues. It seemed ready, as Forghieri recalled, but Villeneuve didn’t like it; he felt less of a driver with this automation. A single remark to Enzo Ferrari was enough to shelve the project. History tells us how resistant Enzo Ferrari was to radical innovations—think of how long it took to convince him about rear-mounted engines. With the driver’s request, he seized the opportunity to drop the idea.

The gearbox proved reliable, but Gilles Villeneuve preferred the classic manual system with the lever.

The electro-hydraulic gearbox—an electric impulse operated a hydraulic circuit to control the clutch and gear changes—was not forgotten, though. Discreetly and with limited resources, engineer de Silvestri refined it, leveraging advancements in electronics to make it feasible for the 1989 single-seater. Barnard’s car paved the way for this revolution, and soon everyone adopted it, unaware that Forghieri and de Silvestri should be remembered as the true creators of a system that elevated Barnard’s reputation. But that matters little: what mattered was that Ferrari proved its forward-thinking capability. Memorable.

At the 1989 Brazilian Grand Prix, the 640 F1 debuted the electro-hydraulic gearbox, winning its first race with Nigel Mansell.