23 years ago, Formula One still had a fairly wide mix of engines. Equal amounts of V8’s and V10’s, along with a lone V12. Naturally, that V12 was very Italian. Sitting in the back of the Ferrari 412T2, it screamed, powered and rattled its way around the multitude of F1 races that year…and occasionally blew up.
The 412T2 was a fast, wild machine. Whilst not possessing the consistency or pace of the Benetton or the Williams at every track, it occasionally found itself in a position to challenge and even beat them. Despite all those opportunities, there was a single, memorable win. That was Jean Alesi’s first and only victory at the Canadian GP. Not only was it Alesi’s only F1 win, it was the last victory for a V12 engine in F1.
With that in mind, I decided to take the Formula V12 in Automobilista to Montreal for this video. The car, whilst not exactly copying the 412T2, it is very much based around that car. With the iconic low nose, open cockpit and V12 scream, this car really captures the spirit of the Ferrari.
On the subject of the spirit of the 1995 Ferrari, the driving is quite something too! I described the 412T2 as a fast yet wild machine, a trait that has very much been captured in AMS. At Montreal, the nervousness and knife edge power delivery of the car is exaggerated even more, given the plethora of low speed traction zones.
Coming out of corners, it bucks and rears as the V12 tries to give you its 600 prancing horses at once. To steal a Martin Brundle analogy, you need to pretend there’s an egg shell under the throttle pedal — that is how careful you need to be at times. For further indication of that, keep an eye on the throttle input in the bottom right corner.
Not only did the power delivery challenge me, but the overall grip of the car did as well. Despite the big ol’ V12, this is still a light car, with it weighing in at just under 600 kg. That is not a lot of car! Whilst this is a downforce car, it is so basic in comparison to what we see today. You can feel it move around in every type of corner. It is like a temperamental child screaming “but I want to play over here!” It has so much life…and I love it.
In some ways it is a shame that Automobilista came along so late in the day. It doesn’t possess the fancy graphics, the allure of a glitzy career mode or pretty weather effects to bring in the numbers, but what it does have is some of the very best cars in sim racing. That, sometimes, is all you ever need.
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