2021 Ferrari SF90 Stradale Assetto Fiorano First Test: 2.1 Seconds to 60 MPH!

The world's fastest roller coaster is the Formula Rossa at Ferrari World Abu Dhabi, with a top speed of 149.1 mph, just 4 mph higher than is achieved by a product of Ferrari's main business, the SF90 Assetto Fiorano, at the end of the quarter mile. The car, however, doesn't stop pulling until it hits 211 mph. Knowing these numbers means, yes, we've strapped our test equipment to a 2021 Ferrari SF90 Stradale Assetto Fiorano, and it's both the quickest hybrid and quickest gasoline-powered car we've ever tested.

Our test happened in the midst of its Corse Clienti rich-person racing program's Ferrari Racing Days global meet at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway (home of the Indianapolis 500 and previous Formula 1 events in the United States), where we were invited to document the performance of Ferrari's current flagship and erstwhile successor to legends like the Enzo and LaFerrari. With 986 hp provided by a 4.0-liter twin-turbo V-8 and three electric motors (two front, one rear), the SF90 Stradale in its track-focused Assetto Fiorano guise (literally "Fiorano trim," referring to the company's private track in Maranello, Italy) is the most powerful and quickest Ferrari road car ever.

But enough introduction—it's time for more numbers. The SF90 Stradale Assetto Fiorano hits 60 mph from a standing start in 2.10 seconds. It runs a standing quarter-mile in 9.6 seconds at 145.2 mph. This makes it the second-quickest car we've ever tested, the quickest hybrid we've ever tested, and the quickest gasoline-burning car we've ever tested, taking those honorifics from the LaFerrari.

The SF90 is beaten only by the even more powerful Tesla Model S Plaid on our all-time list. On an unprepped asphalt surface, the Tesla hits 60 mph in 2.07 seconds, three-hundredths of a tick quicker. That all-electric super sedan is also quicker through the quarter mile, needing just 9.3 seconds and trapping at 152.2 mph. (The Tesla's numbers, like those of most cars, get even better on a prepped dragstrip surface, but our standard procedure is to test on unprepped asphalt to better represent real-world conditions. This is how the Ferrari was tested. )

Unlike the Tesla, though, the Ferrari doesn't need 15 minutes of battery and vehicle prep to blow your mind. You simply switch to manual shifting, put it in gear, engage "Performance Start" mode (launch control), step on the brake, and floor the gas. When the revs stabilize around 3,400 rpm, lift off the brake and hang on. The SF90 time-shifts itself forward in a way that can make even an experienced car tester giggle with every shot out of the hole. 

It's also dead-nuts consistent. Every launch feels exactly the same from the driver's seat, and every 1-2 shift chirps the rear tires. We always perform multiple runs to ensure we've achieved the best possible number, and in the case of the SF90, it was a matter of fractions of a second. Nearly every run was within 0.2 second to 60 mph, and the two quickest runs were separated by 0.01 second.

When a car is consistently hitting 150 mph by the time you lift off the throttle past the quarter-mile finish line, you want good brakes, and you get them. Ferrari's first-ever brake-by-wire system sets massive carbon-ceramic discs, huge brake calipers, and the regenerative capability of the front motors to the task of hauling the car down to a stop. They do so with incredible force and—here's that trait again—consistency. Stopping from 60 mph requires just 90 feet, among the shortest we've ever recorded, the shortest being 87 feet set by the considerably lighter Porsche 911 GT2 RS Weissach Edition.

It's an especially impressive number considering the SF90 Stradale—even in its lightweight Assetto Fiorano track setup with carbon-fiber wheels, titanium suspension springs, and more—weighs 3,839 pounds according to Ferrari's own racing scales. (This is considerably more than the 3,454-pound dry weight—so, without fluids—Ferrari quoted us when we first drove the car seven weeks ago. )

What matters even more, though, is the brake feel. We've dinged both the 488 and F8 in the past for the wooden feel of their pedals and the amount of leg strength needed to get maximum braking performance, so we were already trepidatious even before considering the SF90 adopts a brake-by-wire system, which we've found across manufacturers to be all over the place in terms of pedal feel and response. We're thrilled to report Ferrari nailed it. The SF90's electronic brake pedal feels better than the purely mechanical ones in any of the company's recent models, and its artificially generated force-feedback is deceptively natural. It requires less effort to get maximum braking, even at 150 mph, and there's a far greater range of adjustability in pedal travel under hard braking.

This is clutch on the racetrack, where Ferrari turned us loose on Indy's infield road course, a slightly shorter version of the configuration run by Formula 1 from 2000 to 2007. The SF90 eclipses 150 mph on both the front and back straights, each of which is followed by a 90-degree corner, requiring massive deceleration twice a lap, every lap. We assumed the street-legal tires and brake pads would require us to back up our braking points after a few laps as things began to overheat, but seven laps later, we could still wait until the last second to stand on the stoppers at the end of each straight.

As good as the brakes are, the real magic of the SF90 is between the straights. Despite up to 133 hp going to each front tire as the twin electric motors vector torque across the front axle, the SF90 still has delicate and communicative steering, and especially so for an all-wheel-drive car. That front-axle torque vectoring, combined with the electronically controlled rear differential, allows the driver to get back on the power harder and sooner than many supercars and lets the front wheels pull the car out of the corner. Go too hard at it, and you can induce mild power-on understeer, which is easily countered by lifting slightly. Lift-throttle oversteer can also be induced trying to carry too much speed into a corner, but the rotation is moderate at worst and easily caught and controlled. This isn't a car that snaps loose or fights coming back into line; it's remarkably balanced and composed.

That's what makes this car special: It's incredibly easy to drive fast. Every number on this car is intimidating, from the power it makes to the speeds and acceleration it's capable of. Yet when you drive it, the car works with you, not against you. Despite blending power from three motors and an engine, the throttle pedal has plenty of travel and a linear gain that makes for easy and precise adjustments. The power does surge at full throttle when the total combined might of the electric motors and turbochargers kicks in, but by the time you get to that point, you've already taken most of the steering out of the car, and the power doesn't upset it. This truly is a nearly 1,000-hp machine you can jump into and drive for the first time, on a track you've never been to, and be completely confident in exploring your lines and braking points immediately. There's no getting used to the SF90's behavior—it just works, letting you focus on your driving, not managing the car.

You may have perused the specs already and noted the SF90 only pulled 1.07 lateral g's in our skidpad test, which is considerably lower than many other supercars we've tested. However, we believe this can be chalked up to the test surface, as the only parking lot we were able to perform the test in was both bumpy and had inconsistent pavement quality.

Roller-coaster fanatics aren't unlike car fanatics. They pore over spec charts, ranking and comparing rides around the world based on their acceleration, top speed, g forces, and more. Those with the means travel the world to ride the quickest, fastest roller coasters, not unlike how those with the means buy the quickest and fastest cars in the world. And who among us hasn't entertained the dream of owning your own private roller coaster? As with most material things, it's simply a matter of money, and for far less than the cost of a coaster, you can get basically the same level of thrills from the SF90.

According to an analysis by Ohio University, a roller coaster typically costs between $3 million and $30 million, not including the land under it. By that measure, the $704,929 as-tested price of the SF90 is a screaming deal. Yes, there are quicker roller coasters in the world, but you have to travel to them every time you want a taste. A car, on the other hand, you can take anywhere you'd like to experience its world-beating performance. Airfare, hotels, and admission tickets are all most of us will ever be able to afford when we want this kind of rush, but if you have the ability to buy a car like this, you absolutely should. It'll prove its value every time you step on the throttle.