The Italian Navy is preparing to put an F-35B fighter jet and a Ferrari SF90 on the same runway in a rare high-speed demonstration at Grottaglie air base in southern Italy.
The event is scheduled for October 11 and will feature two separate races. The first will compare the aircraft and car over 500 meters, while the second will cover about 2.8 kilometers and allow the F-35B to transition from a ground run to flight.
The demonstration will bring together two machines built for very different purposes. The Ferrari is designed for rapid acceleration and high road speed, while the F-35B is optimized for combat operations from short runways and ships.
The first race will take place on an aluminum runway section used by Italian Navy F-35Bs during landing operations. The aircraft will accelerate along the runway before taking off at the end of the 500-meter course.
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Fabio Barone will drive the Ferrari SF90. Barone has set seven speed records in Ferrari cars and previously took part in a Navy demonstration involving a Ferrari on the flight deck of the carrier Trieste.
The SF90 normally accelerates from zero to 100 kilometers per hour in about 2.8 seconds. Barone said modifications for the event are expected to reduce that figure to around 2.6 seconds.
He expects the Ferrari to reach about 330 kilometers per hour during the 500-meter run. The car is expected to complete the course in approximately eight to nine seconds.
The driver said the acceleration will subject him to about 2.2g, equivalent to roughly 140 kilograms of force acting on his body. He also expects the aluminum runway to produce significant vibration during the run.
Second Race Adds Flight
The second contest will use a longer 2.8-kilometer course made up of asphalt and aluminum sections. During this race, the Ferrari and F-35B will begin together on the runway.
After the first 500 meters, the F-35B will take off and continue the course in flight. The aircraft is expected to fly at an altitude of about 20 meters while the Ferrari continues along the runway.
The F-35B’s short-takeoff and vertical-landing capability makes this type of demonstration possible. Its propulsion system allows the aircraft to operate from shorter runways and perform vertical landings, including from naval vessels designed to support fixed-wing aviation.
The two competitors will use the same runway, which is approximately 35 meters wide. Barone said this will leave about 15 meters between the car and aircraft during the ground phase of the race.
The driver said maintaining control over the aluminum surface will be one of the main challenges. The uneven characteristics of the surface are expected to create additional vibration at high speed.
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Italian Naval Aviation Context
The demonstration comes as Italy continues to operate the F-35B as part of its naval aviation force. The aircraft provides the Navy with a fixed-wing capability that can be used from short runways and the flight deck of the Italian carrier Trieste.
The race itself is not intended as an operational comparison between the fighter and the Ferrari. Their performance is measured against completely different requirements, with the F-35B designed for combat missions and the SF90 developed for road performance.
The event instead provides a controlled demonstration of acceleration, runway performance and the transition from ground movement to flight. It also gives the Navy an opportunity to demonstrate the F-35B’s ability to operate from a relatively short runway.
The Italian Navy has previously worked with Barone on high-speed demonstrations. In 2025, he drove a Ferrari along the flight deck of the Trieste, reaching approximately 164 kilometers per hour over a distance of about 200 meters before braking to avoid the end of the deck.
A Tradition Of Jet Races
The planned race has a precedent in Italy. In 2003, former Formula One driver Michael Schumacher raced a Ferrari Formula One car against an Italian Air Force Eurofighter at Grosseto.
That event included races over 600, 900 and 1,200 meters. The Eurofighter won the 900- and 1,200-meter contests without taking off, while Schumacher won the 600-meter race.
Schumacher reached 294 kilometers per hour and completed the shorter race in 9.6 seconds. He finished about two-tenths of a second ahead of the Eurofighter.
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The Grottaglie event will use a different aircraft and a different type of car, but it follows the same basic format. It will also show how the outcome of a race between an aircraft and a car changes when the aircraft is allowed to leave the runway.
For the Italian Navy, the focus will remain on the F-35B’s ability to operate from constrained spaces. For spectators, the Oct. 11 demonstration will provide a rare side-by-side view of a modern naval fighter and a high-performance Ferrari using the same runway.
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