An official Ferrari video shows Pope Leo inspcting and sitting in the driver's seat of the new all-electric Ferrari Luce, but a jump cut leaves ambiguity about whether he actually drove it. ferrari has refused to deny the Pope took the wheel, according to a DailyMail.com/This is Money report. The world's first test drive of Ferrari's controversial 1036hp electric supercar may have been made by the Pontiff himself.

The 4-minute-55-second jump cut that ignited the mystery

At roughly four minutes into Ferrari's official five-minute video, Pope Leo is seen being guided through the Luce's controls by chief test driver Raffaela de Simone, as reported by DailyMail.com/This is Money.. Then, at the 4:55 mark, the film cuts abruptly to the car accelerating away down a road within the Pope's residence at Castel Gandolfo. The jump cut raises the pivotal question: who was driving? The source notes that Ferrari has not confirmed or denied that the Pope was behind the wheel during that drive.

A £500,000 Popemobile that does 0-62mph in 2.5 secoonds

If Pope Leo did drive, it would be the fastest Popemobile on record. The Ferrari Luce is the company's first five-seater, four-door battery-electric vehicle, producing 1036hp, accelerating to 62mph in 2.5 seconds, and reaching a top speed of 193mph, with a range of 329 miles. The car made its debut in Rome with a price tag around £500,000 , and its unveiling generated a huge backlash centered on its radical design, according to the report.

Ferrari's divided house: Montezemolo's rebuke vs. May's defense

Former Ferrari chairman Luca di Montezemolo was scathing about the Luce, saying it should not carry the famous prancing horse badge, the source notes. In contrast, former Top Gear host James May, a known Ferrari owner and fan, rallied to its defense. Ferrari's global marketing director Emanuele Carando acknowledged the schism: “We are going to have some great lovers and we are going to have a lot of haters.” The car was designed in collaboration with LoveFrom, headed by Sir Jony Ive, the former Apple design chief behind the iPhone,which has further polarized opinion.

What Ferrari's carefully worded statement leaves unconfirmed

When approached by DailyMail.com/This is Money, Ferrari issued a pre-prepared statement: “We do not confirm whether the Pope has actually driven the Ferrari Luce or not.” The source characterized this as a “sin of omission.” Ferrari also confirmed that the news outlet was the first and only one to ask the question. Several open questions remain: Does Ferrari have any footage of the Pope driving? Did the Pope approve the ambiguity? And why did Ferrari choose to neither confirm nor deny—a tactic that typically amplifies media interest?