Ferrari's F1 car stole the show with smoky doughnuts at the 2006 Winter Olympics opening ceremony

A Ferrari Formula 1 car, driven by test driver Luca Badoer, performed a dramatic smoky doughnut display as a surprise act during the opening ceremony of the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy. The 2005 Ferrari F2005, painted with Olympic rings and Turin's colors, was serviced by a pit crew on stage before its screaming V10 engine was unleashed in front of a global audience of an estimated two billion viewers.

Why it matters:

The moment represented a powerful fusion of two iconic Italian and global symbols: the pinnacle of motorsport and the Olympic Games. It was a deliberate statement of national pride, technical excellence, and "rhythm, passion and speed" aimed at showcasing Italy's design and engineering prowess to the world during a flagship international event.

The details:

• The segment was an unannounced surprise, not listed on the official ceremony program for the 35,000 attendees in the stadium.
• The car used was the Ferrari F2005, the last V10-engined car fielded by the Scuderia in F1. Despite its iconic status and sound, it was one of the team's less successful chassis, winning only a single race in the 2005 season.
• The ceremony's producers pitched the idea as selling "design, industry and speed." Government supervisor Mario Pescante stated the act united "Ferrari and Torino 2006 are two symbols of Italy at its best... that loves great challenges."
• The performance began with a staged pit stop before Badoer carefully drove the car to a larger area of the stadium floor to perform the doughnuts, allowing the 900-horsepower engine to fully resonate.

The big picture:

While this year's Winter Games featured F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali and Mercedes junior driver Kimi Antonelli as torchbearers, they did not include a similar automotive spectacle, despite the sport's increased global popularity. The 2006 ceremony remains a unique historical crossover. Over the years, other F1 figures like Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc have participated as Olympic torchbearers, but the sight and sound of a contemporary F1 car performing in an Olympic stadium is a singular event that captured a specific moment in time for both Ferrari and the Olympics.