One of the most significant technological developments in Formula 1 history was Ferrari’s introduction of the semi-automatic gearbox, or paddle shift.
Just a handful of years after it first appeared in 1989, every car on the grid had copied the Ferrari system – and the technology even made its way into the road car industry.
But as explained in this video, the pioneering car that first carried this revolution almost didn’t make it – with spectacular internal politics at Ferrari, which included a secret car, threatening to derail the concept.
