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There are plenty of cool things about being the Pope, but one of the best? The gifts. And not just like Applebee's gift cards or donations in your name. I mean good stuff. Pope Leo has only been pontiff for a few months, and already he has gotten some deep dish pizza, a "Da Pope" shirt, and a Jannik Sinner tennis racket. Now, he's getting something that puts all of those to shame, at least from a price standpoint: a genuine Ferrari Formula 1 steering wheel. Ferrari chairman John Elkann visited the Pope and gave him the steering wheel, which was actually used by Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc. My favorite part is when Elkann had to inform the Pope that the wheel wouldn't light up or work without being connected to the car. I'm not sure if that means the Pope isn't an F1 guy, or if he's a giant F1 guy. On one hand, I feel like F1 fans would know that the wheel doesn't do anything unless it's connected to the car. On the other hand, I think the Pope wanted to flip through engine modes and adjust his brake bias while sitting and watching races from the Pope Cave. That's what I would do. I'd make engine noises with my mouth too. Not ashamed to admit it. Nnnnnyeeeeeeoooooowwwwww! Maybe they could throw it on the Pope Mobile, or hey, how about Ferrari builds him a new Pope Mobile? Perhaps someday, but in the meantime, the Pope will need to settle for the (very cool) scale model that Elkann and Ferrari gave him to go along with his new, non-functioning steering wheel. It's a replica of the Ferrari SF90 XX Stradale. Elkann said this was to remind the Pope of his "passion for driving." Lots of people joked that the team should've had the Pope bless their current steering wheels after some struggles this season. That may not have been a bad call at all. Interestingly, according to Motorsport, this isn't the first Ferrari Formula 1 steering wheel to make its way to the Vatican. One of Michael Schumacher's Ferrari steering wheels from his 2003 championship season is on display in the Padiglione delle Carrozze, or Carriage Pavilion.
