Azimut Yachts and Ferrari Hypersail: Engineering at the Edge of Ocean Racing
Azimut Yachts has become Technical Partner and Official Yachting Partner of Ferrari Hypersail, Ferrari’s ambitious project for offshore ocean racing. The collaboration brings together two Italian brands with a strong focus on research, advanced technology and performance, with the sea at the centre of their latest challenge.
The partnership begins on shore, with the Ferrari Hypersail Operational Base established at Azimut’s shipyard in Livorno, and extends offshore through the Azimut Fly 72 x Ferrari Hypersail, a custom-built support vessel developed by Azimut’s Technical Department for the prototype’s initial flight testing and subsequent test campaigns.
A Fly 72 built for a new role
The technical challenge was demanding. During the initial trials, the Azimut Fly 72 must be capable of towing the Ferrari Hypersail prototype at around 30 knots, at a stage when the racing yacht will operate without its mast and sails. At the same time, the support vessel must cope with the dynamic loads generated during take-off and foiling.
To meet these requirements, Azimut extensively modified the Fly 72 platform, focusing on optimising its power-to-weight ratio.
An extensive weight-reduction programme, based on the use of carbon fibre, has reduced the vessel’s overall weight by six tonnes. At the same time, power has been increased to 4,000 horsepower, doubling the model’s standard power output and creating a configuration developed exclusively for Ferrari Hypersail.
The integration of such a substantial power increase required significant work across the vessel’s structural and systems architecture. Azimut’s experience with carbon fibre and lightweight construction played a key role in developing the final solution.
Engineered for extreme loads
Another major challenge was the connection between the Fly 72 and the Ferrari Hypersail prototype. A special tow post has therefore been integrated into the hull, engineered and tested to withstand the extreme static and dynamic loads generated during towing operations.
The project brings together several areas of Azimut’s expertise, including naval architecture, structural and systems engineering and interior fit-out.
The entire onboard configuration has also been customised around the needs of the Ferrari Hypersail team, led by Enrico Voltolini, creating a working environment designed to support the team throughout the testing programme.
In later stages of the project, the Azimut Fly 72 will also accommodate crew members and provide VIP hospitality, following the Ferrari Hypersail team from the early testing phases to major events around the world.
Two different worlds, one approach to innovation
For Azimut, the collaboration represents another opportunity to explore technologies that can contribute to the future of yachting. The company’s independent R&D Department is dedicated to developing solutions that do not yet exist on the market, a philosophy that closely aligns with the experimental nature of Ferrari Hypersail.
Ferrari brings its racing DNA to the world of ocean sailing, while Azimut contributes its expertise in lightweight construction, naval engineering and high-performance yacht development.
The result is more than a support vessel. The Azimut Fly 72 x Ferrari Hypersail is a highly engineered platform in its own right, where weight reduction, power, structural strength and operational functionality have been brought together for one very specific purpose.
The collaboration between the two Italian brands extends the pursuit of performance beyond the racing yacht itself, into the technology and engineering ecosystem that makes its development possible.
