Why are Ferrari F1 fans called ‘Tifosi’?

The first exposure of many fans to Formula One vocabulary is the word Tifosi. In the modern day, it refers almost exclusively to fans of Scuderia Ferrari. The fans carry the status of a ‘Tifosi’ with pride. One can easily spot a ‘Tifosi’ in a crowd because of their enthusiasm and often bright red attire. The Tifosi show up at venues like Monza and Imola in large numbers and the entire grandstands turn red to display passion for the prancing horse.

In modern Italian, the word directly translates to ‘Fans’. ‘Tifosi’ is used for an all-male or mixed-gender group. ‘Tifoso’ is the masculine singular version of the verb with ‘tifosa’ being the feminine singular. But in the common tongue, Tifosi now means fans of Scuderia Ferrari. They are known to be one of the most passionate and fanatical supporters in the world.

The term ‘tifosi’ was first used to describe fans of Scuderia Ferrari in the 1930s. Large crowds of supporters would come to the races to support Enzo Ferrari who had just begun racing his cars. The title has been popularized to enormous proportions in the 21st century. One cannot witness a race without the term being mentioned by commentators on multiple occasions.

What is the origin of the word ‘Tifosi’?

One historical account denotes the term originates from the disease ‘typhus’. Some believe it translates to ‘fanatic’ in an old Tuscan dialect. However, the most widely accepted story of origin is the derivation mentioned above of the word ‘typhos’ from ancient Greece.

The ancient Greek word ‘typhos’, means smoke. Traditionally, spectators would light a bonfire to celebrate the victories of their favorite athletes during the ancient Olympic games. This has evolved to become a word to denote one of the most celebrated racing teams in the world.

While the Tifosi have not been able to celebrate a Championship triumph since 2007, the fans are still optimistic about one day returning to the top. Ferrari’s present driver pairing has proven to be one of the strongest on the grid. Led by a new Team Principal, the Italian outfit is expected to emerge firing on all cylinders at the season opener in Bahrain.

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