The Ending Of Ferrari Explained
Contains spoilers for "Ferrari"
Michael Mann — the director behind "Heat" and "Collateral" — returns with a biopic centered on the legendary Enzo Ferrari, the former motorsport racer and founder of the iconic car manufacturer Ferrari. The film — based on Brock Yates' 1991 biography "Enzo Ferrari: The Man, The Cars, The Races, The Machine" — sees Enzo Ferrari (Adam Driver) deal with personal and professional woes during a turning point in the motorsport industry. While balancing his personal relationships with his wife Laura (Penelope Cruz) and mistress Lina (Shailene Woodley), Enzo is desperately trying to put Ferrari back on the map as the competition grows. Now, Enzo is doing everything in his power to help the Ferrari team win the upcoming 1000-mile race through Italy known as Mille Miglia — but his determination leads to grim results.
"Ferrari" is a biopic that mixes sports and personal drama as it touches on Enzo's conflicting morality and the chaos of his life on and off the track. Mann delivers fast thrills through some tense racing sequences that'll have viewers trying to catch their breath, as well as impactful confrontations that touch on the anguish and determination that drives Enzo. It all builds to a riveting finale filled with jaw-dropping devastation and meaningful interactions that alter Enzo's entire legacy. With so much happening throughout the film's final stretch, let's look at the finale of "Ferrari."
What you need to remember about the plot
Before we look at the film's ending, let's recap some important moments that influence the finale. While Ferrari is still seen as an iconic and beloved brand in Italian culture, its founder Enzo Ferrari is fearful of the company's decline. Not only has their team been unsuccessful on the track lately, but they're starting to go broke to the point where Enzo is being advised to find an investor who will buy into the company. At home, things aren't much better. The loss of their son and fluctuations in the business have caused major rifts between Enzo and Laura, and now Enzo's secret relationship with Lina is on the verge of being discovered. Lina has grown tired of Enzo not acknowledging their son Piero as his own, as a Ferrari. However, Enzo is focused solely on an upcoming race — the treacherous 1000 miles of Mille Miglia — and building a team that'll lead Ferrari to victory.
While his first driver dies from a horrifying crash during a time trial, he's able to pull together a team that includes a young aspiring driver named Alfonso De Portago (Gabriel Leone). Through Enzo's dedication to creating the perfect car for the race and some swift business dealings, Ferrari has a chance to reclaim their position as number one. What Enzo doesn't realize, though, is that Lauren has found out about Lina and Piero, and she forces Enzo into a corner to make a deal to buy out her shares.
What happened at the end of the movie
When it's time for the Ferrari team to compete, things go surprisingly well. The team confidently leads the race with ease — which could result in Enzo fulfilling the financial arrangement he's concocting and keeping his promise to Laura of having the deal completed before she cashes the check he offered her in exchange for giving him power over her shares. If Laura cashes the check, Ferrari would likely go bankrupt. Unfortunately, Alfonso's tire gets a nasty tear, causing the car to flip and fly wildly into the air. The crash not only kills Alfonso, but also slaughters many civilians watching the race from the side of the road. While Enzo's dream of Ferrari winning comes true with one of the drivers — Piero Taruffi (Patrick Dempsey) — coming in first place, a nightmarish tragedy also unfolds.
Ferrari's public image is tarnished, as they're initially blamed for the accident and all the deaths that followed — news that's made worse when Enzo learns that Laura cashed the check. When Enzo returns to Laura, she tells him that despite his actions, she's willing to bail him out, but asks that Piero is never acknowledged as Enzo's son until she's dead, since he's not a "real" Ferrari. While Enzo's decision is unclear, he meets with Piero and introduces him to Enzo's deceased son Dino, his half-brother. The film ends with some text that shows Piero getting the Ferrari name after Laura died and eventually stepping into his father's shoes at the head of the company.
What does the ending mean?
The fate of Ferrari as a company is one of the biggest things hanging in the balance throughout the film. With Ferrari losing its sense of dominance in the racing world and struggling to find lucrative success in a fast-growing industry, it's on the verge of collapse. This fear is what drives Enzo to keep his company from falling apart. It's something that causes rifts in his personal life — especially with Laura — and puts the pressure on everyone at Ferrari to win. Sadly though, it's also what makes the ending so bittersweet. Although Ferrari does win the Mille Miglia, it comes at the cost of more than just Alfonso's life. With many believing that a manufacturing issue with the tire caused the crash, the deaths of many bystanders — including children — are placed on their shoulders.
With the news of Laura cashing that check, it seems the end is near for Ferrari. However, Laura offering Enzo a new deal is music to his ears — but it comes with new complications. He can't give Ferrari or the Ferrari name to Piero while Laura is still alive, and it's a choice that's crushing, but one that he likely feels he has to make. He's risked everything to keep Ferrari alive and although he wants Piero to truly feel like his son, Ferrari is too meaningful to let go. Although we learn that Piero inherited everything after Laura's death, Enzo's choice shows how much Ferrari's legacy meant to him.
Another possible explanation
For Enzo and Laura — as well as the entirety of Italy, it seems — the Ferrari name carries more meaning than just being a car brand. For quite some time, it was a name that meant success and dominance in the world of motorsport. Everyone knows who Enzo and Laura are, and Enzo's presence has a deep meaning for the public. He's often asked if his team is going to win races, and there's an expectation of them being able to be top contenders. It's why reestablishing this sense of dominance is so important for Enzo and why he does everything he can to make sure Ferrari wins big at Mille Miglia.
The Ferrari name also carries some personal meaning for Enzo and Laura, though, since it's a legacy they've built together. As much as the Ferrari name exudes prestige to the public, it does the same for them, and that's why Laura says that Piero can't carry the name. Although Piero is Enzo's son, her obvious anger toward his existence makes it too painful for her to imagine him taking over the company one day. In her eyes, him carrying on the Ferrari legacy while she's on this earth would be a disgrace, tarnishing everything they sacrificed to build. For Enzo, though, he still wishes to pass this on to Piero — which he's eventually able to do.
Dino's death changes Enzo
Although the details behind Dino's death aren't revealed right away, we eventually come to learn that he died of muscular dystrophy. While Laura wanted to keep fighting for Dino to possibly get better, Enzo took the doctor's advice and gave in to the reality that his son was on borrowed time. After Dino's death, Laura blamed Enzo for giving up and not keeping his promise that he wouldn't die. It's the focal point of Enzo and Laura's divide and a major aspect of why they've become so cold and distant from each other. Once Dino died, Enzo felt his family with Laura was broken. As for Laura, she's remained very aggressive towards Enzo and is driven by the anger and anguish over their son's death.
Enzo and Laura aren't the same after Dino's death, and that tragedy plays a role in their final exchange. Aside from Laura not wanting Piero to have the Ferrari name because he's not her son, she doesn't want him to be a Ferrari because it would feel like Piero is stepping into Dino's legacy. It should've been him who had the chance to inherit Ferrari, and the sheer idea of Piero eventually doing so disgusts her. Dino's death casts a long shadow over both of his parents, especially in their relationship with one another.
Danger is around every corner in racing
A major takeaway from "Ferrari" outside of Enzo's personal story is how dangerous racing is for everyone involved — both drivers and fans. Right from the initial driving sequence with Enzo's first driver, Mann immerses viewers in all the wild turns and high speeds of this sport. Then, he leaves a big lump in your throat during the first crash sequence that sends the driver flying through the air, dying from the impact. Alfonso's crash and death are much more gutting, though, because of the swift brutality seen in the deaths of innocent onlookers. The car flattens and eviscerates so many people in a matter of seconds, and the aftermath leaves viewers jaw-dropped at the devastation.
Mann's ability to capture the high stakes of motorsport is truly breathtaking, and his depiction of the death and destruction that are around every corner leaves a deep impact. While there's a sense of luxury and universal competitiveness within motorsport, the danger doesn't go unnoticed and the prospect of a fiery crash is within every driver's mind the second they step into the car. Sadly for two drivers in the film, they're unable to escape death. But their deaths show the physical horrors that come from crashes, and Alfonso's specifically shows that spectators can also be in the line of fire. It's a sport that's certainly not for the faint of heart or those afraid of potential death at any moment.
Ferrari becomes obsessed with winning
As Ferrari's name starts to lose its luster, Enzo becomes so determined to win that it's on the verge of full-blown obsession. He's seen designing engines instead of playing with Piero, and he's rarely at home because he's working night and day to ensure victory. While his efforts do ultimately make the best Ferrari team he could put together, it comes at its own cost. Although there are moments that show how warm and personable Enzo can be, he's pretty much a cold and determined force to be reckoned with whenever he's seen by the track. Even with those sunglasses on, Enzo's cold stare can be felt by anyone in the driver's seat and there's an immense amount of pressure added by his presence.
It's his determination to win that influences everything Ferrari is trying to accomplish and translates to all the drivers — especially Alfonso — every second during the race. But it's also Enzo's cold demeanor and execution that makes some fearful of him, viewing him as an intimidating figure that they'd hate to disappoint. Enzo's obsession with winning is what makes him such a cold and daunting boss for everyone who's under his control, and it leads to Mille Miglia being a pressure-filled event, since it basically determines Enzo and Ferrari's future.
Enzo's celebrity status makes him immune to ire
Another key aspect of Laura's frustration with Enzo is his celebrity status granting him immunity, a sense that he doesn't have to play by the rules. While she's kept in the dark about Enzo's relationship with Lina, pretty much everyone else around her knows about it. Any time she tries to confront others about it or anything that Enzo does, her perspective is basically ignored. She has no genuine power in this relationship — despite being involved with Ferrari directly — and it's something that constantly causes huge fractures in their relationship. However, there isn't much that Laura can do to fight back since Enzo's status in their local community would turn her into a villain.
At this point, Enzo is a public figure that most locals know and love. They greet him on the streets with the importance that he's earned and treated like a local hero. In most people's eyes, he can basically do whatever he wants. The same can't be said for Laura, though, and if she had the same affair that Enzo has with Lina, she would probably be lambasted by the public. The film is a deeply tragic showing of the double standard in Laura's relationship with Enzo and how celebrity status can make people less accountable simply because of who they are.
Enzo is driven by pride
With Enzo having such a notable legacy established first as a driver and then as a larger-than-life figurehead for Ferrari, he's got immense pride that often drives him in his journey for victory and continued relevance as well. Since Enzo has such a long-standing history of success, it deeply pains him that Ferrari is in such a rough state as a company, and that he's on the verge of going broke because of it. His ego and pride are certainly punctured by this reality and it's what definitely motivates him to regain Ferrari's legacy and mend their public image. That importance of public image is especially important to him and a key aspect of his pride that ultimately leads him to ruin by the end.
While he's able to do some backdoor deals and even work with the press to create a better narrative for himself, he can't escape the fallout of Alfonso's accident. The deaths of many people end up being on his hands and it's what ruins the company's reputation in the moment. It's a soul-crushing instance of fate, and he's so frustrated by this that he dramatically proclaims himself the villain and scapegoat Italy seems to need, instead of being empathetic and accountable in the moment. The ending of "Ferrari" sees Enzo forced to deal with his pride in a meaningful way as his desperation for a good reputation is dashed in an instant.
How does the ending compare to the true story?
As with any biopic, it's worth looking at how the ending compares to the real-life story. In the case of "Ferrari," it's fairly accurate but leaves out a couple of details of things that happened after the events of the film. As for what happened at Mille Miglia, the film is sadly accurate to the tragedy of Alfonso's crash and the deaths that followed. In the film, it's also explained in the final text that Ferrari was cleared of manslaughter charges due to the crash stemming from a blown tire and not a mechanical failure. However, it leaves out that Ferrari was deeply haunted by Alfonso's crash for years as more drivers in their ranks died, including Luigi Musso and Wolfgang von Trips. After the tragedy at Mille Miglia, the newspapers also called for the race to be put to an end.
As for Ferrari — in general — the company's racing dominance continued for many years, but wasn't without its strife. Due to Laura's continued involvement in the business, there were threats to walk away from Ferrari by important figures within the company. Enzo eventually fired them all in a spiteful manner, which was called the "Palace Revolt" by some. However, this led to the likes of engineer Mario Forghieri and designer Sergio Scaglietti being hired and changing the landscape of Ferrari for the better.