Ferrari's now in The Crew Motorfest, and yes, you can drive an F40

Have you ever stopped and thought about what Ferrari really means? Sure, everyone – and we do mean everyone – knows the cars. The racing history, the association with luxury, these things are constants. But in the modern age, for one brand to house elements as disparate as a theme park, a Formula One team, and a carbon fibre chess set and still hold onto a coherent image is quite a feat.

More so when you consider that for most people, even the most foundational element of the Ferrari brand, the cars themselves, are just an idea. The F40 is one of the most recognisable and well-loved vehicles ever made, but Ferrari only made 1,311 of them. Which means for the other, ooh, several million fans who don’t have one out in the garage, it’s just a notion. The only place most of us can drive one is in games.

With that idea front of mind, that owning these cars is only possible in the virtual realm for the majority, there’s a feeling of significance to Ferrari’s partnership with The Crew Motorfest, which brings a new playlist of content to the live service racer and a digitised museum experience. The manufacturer’s never been especially shy about licensing its cars in games, but this feels different.

It begins with Michele Pignatti Morano, the director of the Enzo Ferrari museum, telling you about the vehicle you’re about to drive. How and why each of the era-defining supercars were conceived and engineered, and what kind of legacy they’ve created for themselves since they launched. It feels like a fireside chat after a lavish dinner, and Pignatti Morano’s insights have a way of conveying what makes Ferrari special: the passion.

And moments later when you get into the car, that’s when this Season 7 content for Motorfest feels special. There have been F40s in games since there have been F40s and games, and in fact this model was already in Motorfest before this new Ferrari playlist was added. It’s not even one of the newly added models, but the lead up to driving one has been framed in such a way that this time, sitting behind the virtual wheel of one feels somehow more authentic. You’re almost starstruck.

As for the new cars - the GTO, F50 and that newfangled F80 with its controversial, mascara-like streak of black running across the front section, they feel just as momentous to drive. And it’s not just that they’re quick, and follow the curve of a corner like the hem of a perfectly tailored Italian suit. It’s the little details.

A new soundtrack, written and recorded especially for this playlist, uses lively string arrangements to conjure Vivaldi and Rossini without landing on the specific notes of their works. The speedometers and rev counters seem to have been given extra love on your HUD, each bespoke to its vehicle and signalling the dominant design trends of the era. Even the colour grading of the image as a whole has a red hue when you’re driving a race from the Ferrari playlist. Plenty of other games have Ferrari’s cars, but The Crew Motorfest seems to have a little piece of the brand’s pure essence.

It’s all leading up to your drive in the F80, the newest in Ferrari’s long-running lineage of supercars. Its looks and engine specs have been divisive since the Prancing Horse drew back the veil on it in 2024, but here in Motorfest where parting with £4.2m isn’t a prerequisite for owning one, you’re given to take a lighthearted attitude towards its dramatic lines and enjoy the sheer plantedness as you zoom across Oahu at speeds only NASA has the equipment to accurately measure.

In total, the Ferrari playlist consists of seven new main events, 25 challenges and nine other side activities, and marks the beginning of a month-long Ferrari celebration in the game, beginning on 2 July. But what it does so effectively is create the feeling of being more than the sum of its parts. You cross the finish line feeling some of the passion that built the company, and then sustained it through the decades as it grew into a global luxury brand. And then you restart the event, obviously. Because that means having another go in an F50, or a GTO, or an F80, on almost empty roads. It’s too tempting to decline.

After that, the rest of the season continues along a broader theme of European automotive heritage. The ‘Luxury Chronicles: Europe’ playlist will be added on 6 August, covering the finest gems from British, French, and German engineering. New playlist events will be added weekly during this time, along with 17 new vehicles throughout the entirety of Season 7.