 The 159 S debuted for Scuderia Ferrari on August 15, 1947 at the Circuito di Pescara with the company's driver, Franco Cortese, coming in second.Although it led overall for a time, the class-winning 159 S eventually fell behind the Stanguellini of Vincenzo Auricchio.Like the 125, the 159 S was unable to beat Maserati's 6CS 1500 for much of the rest of the 1947 season.