STORY OF THE DAY: Serafini completes a Ferrari one-two in Sicily
The Syracuse Grand Prix of 11 March 1951 was a non-championship Formula One race staged on the road circuit near the Sicilian city. Dorino Serafini drove Ferrari 212 F1 number 18 to second place behind teammate Luigi Villoresi, completing a one-two finish for Scuderia Ferrari. No World Championship points were awarded at the event.

Serafini’s runner-up result continued an unusually consistent sequence of strong finishes during his brief career in top-level single-seaters. Syracuse also gave the 212 F1 a rare works appearance, and Serafini brought it home behind the more experienced Villoresi in a race that opened the European Grand Prix season.

The 212 F1 was powered by a naturally aspirated Colombo-designed V12 of approximately 2.6 litres. Developed from Ferrari’s early V12 family, it occupied an intermediate position in the company’s rapidly evolving single-seater programme and was less powerful than the larger 375 F1 created for frontline World Championship competition.

Dorino Serafini was an Italian rider who became a leading motorcycle racer before turning to cars, having won the 1939 European 500cc motorcycling championship. His sole World Championship Grand Prix appearance came for Ferrari at Monza in 1950, where he shared second place with Alberto Ascari. His second position at Syracuse demonstrated the versatility and pace he retained before injuries curtailed his career.