French Director Claude Lelouch shot his short film, “Le Grand Rendez-vous”, in Principality of Monaco at dawn, on the very date the Grand Prix was to take place.
The French director’s cameras accompanied the Ferrari SF90 Stradale as it completed an adrenaline-fuelled lap of the Formula 1 street circuit. At its wheel was Charles Leclerc who clocked speeds of up to 240 km/h en route to the mystery “big date” of the title.
HSH Prince Albert II of Monaco also made a brief appearance in the film. The Ferrari Chairman John Elkann, the Princes Andrea Casiraghi and Pierre Casiraghi with his wife, Princess Beatrice Borromeo, also visited the set. Thanks to a progressive lifting of the lockdown in France and Monaco, the shoot was also watched by a group of excited onlookers from the balconies and the streets carefully supervised by the local authorities.
Traffic was stopped to allow the SF90 Stradale, which can sprint from 0-100 km/h in 2.5 seconds, unleash its full power on the Principality’s streets. The car’s blistering engine soundtrack broke a long dry spell for Prancing Horse enthusiasts and tifosi alike. Most importantly of all, however, the roar of its hybrid V8, generating a total power of 1,000 CV, sent out a message of optimism and signalled a first step towards the return of motorsport, film and social life as we endeavour to put the pandemic behind us through mutually responsible behaviour, commitment and solidarity.
“Le Grand Rendez-vous” premieres on June 13 next.
