There was no Monaco Grand Prix this year thanks to the covid-19 pandemic, but Ferrari was not going to let the occasion pass without giving supercar fans something to enjoy. Hence the wonderful ‘Le Grand Rendez-vous’, a short film that pays homage to a much earlier film – “C’était un rendez-vous” – which took on legendary status and featured a fast car on an early morning sprint around the streets of Paris.
Monaco, however, is a different beast altogether. Clearly, in deciding to make ‘Le Grand Rendez-vous’ Ferrari put its brightest heads together and asked the question: what would make a sensational short film? The answer they came up with would appear to be – ‘A Ferrari SF90 Stradale, the Monaco Grand Prix circuit, a dashing young Grand Prix star at the wheel, and a pretty girl’. Enter Charles Leclerc – rising Ferrari F1 star and, at just 22, already winner of two Grands Prix.
Stunning Driving Sequence
Its curious to see facemasks in evidence in the narrative parts of the film, as is the norm everywhere these days, but what you want to see is the simply sensational footage of Leclerc – who is Monaco born – pushing the SF90 Stradale to its limits around the tight, twisty and very famous racetrack that should have been echoing to the sound of 20 F1 cars. In many ways, with traffic stopped and roads closed for the film to be shot, this is better. It’s a brilliant driver, in a brilliant car, in a stunning place.
The film is both promotion and a bit of fun, made while the Ferrari factory was slowly waking up after an enforced slumber, and is a reminder of why we love cars like the Ferrari SF90 Stradale. Graceful and beautiful at a standstill, this example of automotive art becomes something else entirely – a lithe yet brutal beast with aggression in every stance – around what must be one of the most famous race tracks in the world.
Watch it, take in the sight and sound of that glorious engine in this confined space, and you’ll wonder how these drivers thread their 1000bhp F1 cars through these narrow streets at such speed. Most of all, enjoy this quite glorious few minutes of man and machine in perfect harmony. And the pretty girl’s in the mix, too.
