OZ selected as Ferrari F1 wheel supplier

The Scuderia Ferrari Formula 1 car scheduled to be launched tomorrow (an event postponed due to heavy snowfalls) will be fitted with wheels produced by the rim manufacturer OZ. The Italian wheel maker has served as a supplier to numerous top Formula 1 teams for a number of years now, but this is its first Ferrari engagement – previously the Ferrari team was supplied by the BBS brand. The agreement between OZ and Ferrari covers a three-year period and the wheels supplied will sport the famous yellow OZ logo, a design that harks back to the one used in the early Eighties.

In announcing its selection of OZ wheels, Ferrari described the 1971-established wheel maker as “an Italian company that is a world leader in the world of competition and the motor industry in general and in the field of alloy wheels.”

“We are proud to welcome OZ to the group of suppliers to the Scuderia,” said Scuderia Ferrari team principal Stefano Domenicali. “The brand from Padua is synonymous with quality and reliability and along with these characteristics comes the ability to meet the demands of its customers who, in an environment as competitive as Formula 1, are always looking for maximum performance. This collaboration in Formula 1 will further strengthen the ties that have linked for many years the Prancing Horse and OZ in the world of road-going cars.”

“We are proud that Scuderia Ferrari has placed its trust in us,” commented Claudio Bernoni, president and managing director of OZ, who described the company’s selection as an “important recognition” of its work. “OZ wheels have been successfully used in Formula 1 since 1988 – numerous race victories and championships underline OZ’s motorsport performance. This partnership with the best known and most famous Italian team represents for us the start of a new chapter in the OZ success story. Technology for the new Formula 1 Ferrari was developed by OZ in partnership with Ferrari’s engineers. The wheels were optimised down to the minutest detail and achieve outstanding performance. With the historic yellow OZ logo we wish to provide a reminder of our first championship successes in the 1980s – a homage to motorsport fans and aficionados.”