CEVA Logistics has partnered with Ferrari to use intermodal rail to transport race equipment

This is said to be the first time that Scuderia Ferrari SpA, the racing division of the luxury Italian car manufacturer, has used rail freight.

 CEVA, part of CMA CGM, has been changing the Scuderia Ferrari logistics programme since it started working with the company last year. The flow of the six separate 45-ton equipment kits that travel the world has transitioned away from air freight and road to a primary combination of ocean and road freight. CEVA ensured the equipment reached all the Grand Prix racing venues on time.

For the 2023 season, CEVA proposed a new solution – to transport the equipment kit by train in North America to reduce the transport’s carbon emissions. Packed in six 53ft palletwide, 9ft 6in high US domestic containers, the race equipment traveled approximately 2,000 miles from Montreal, Canada, to Austin, Texas, and will travel another nearly 2,000 miles from Austin to Las Vegas, Nevada.

CEVA’s project team calculated that the solution incorporating rail segments between the three F1 races reduced carbon emissions by 90% compared to the equivalent journey by air and 32% versus an all-road, trucking solution.

Finding the right routing to connect the various kits between races is an intricate logistics puzzle, but the extensive rail network across the US makes the solution possible. CEVA’s project team is working closely with rail companies to synchronize the rail transport precisely with the Formula 1 Grand Prix schedule. 

The rail transport for Scuderia Ferrari in North America is being combined with road transport from the rail terminal points.

Moving equipment by train calls for coordination and proactive contingency planning on the part of CEVA’s project team to ensure that everything arrives on time. For example, the equipment traveling from Montreal to Las Vegas via Austin required storage and road transport between CEVA’s Dallas hub and the Austin Grand Prix venue, and will require the same treatment between CEVA’s Los Angeles facility and the Las Vegas Grand Prix racetrack. 

Mathieu Friedberg, CEO, CEVA Logistics said: “The partnership with Scuderia Ferrari underlines the trust that major brands place in us to provide leading solutions, and this trial demonstrates how sustainability improvements in logistics can significantly reduce carbon emissions for Formula 1 and beyond.”

Frédéric Vasseur, Team Principal & General Manager of Scuderia Ferrari, said: “Slashing CO2 emissions in the logistical chain of motorsport, and beyond, presents many challenges. This pilot project with CEVA Logistics is very interesting in terms of transport decarbonization, but we’re not stopping here: we’ll continue to research new sustainable solutions. To achieve climate targets, constant dialogue with partners and experimentation are more important than ever.”