When you have the world’s best racecar driver at your beck and call, you better use him. Ever since Michael Schumacher retired from the activity that awarded him seven world championships, five of which came behind the wheel of a Ferrari, he has been hanging around Maranello conducting new product testing and participating in their high performance sports cars development at the Fiorano circuit. Schumi has even been spotted from time to time hanging around the Scuderia’s paddock on grand prix weekends. That’s what the folks at Ferrari did when it came time to develop the 458 Italia. They handed it over to the seven-time Formula One champion. Michael Schumacher was used as the filler when it came to scrutinizing handling and performance of the mid-rear engined 458 Italia who back in 2012 adoned an all-new aluminum chassis manufactured using aerospace industry bonding techniques.

The F1 legend who was a key consultant in the vehicle's development did some extensive testing of the 458 Italia's steering wheel ergonomics, suspension, braking and gearbox. While it's true that every Ferrari is innovative by definition, it's equally true that in the course of the Prancing Horse's history, certain cars have marked a genuine departure from the current range. This is pretty much the case with the Ferrari 458 Italia as well, which was a massive leap forward from the company's previous mid-rear engined sports cars. The supercar is a synthesis of style, creative flair, passion and cutting-edge technology, characteristics for which Italy as a nation is well-known. For this reason Ferrari chose to add the name of its homeland to the traditional figure representing the displacement and number of cylinders. The Ferrari design team has also incorporated more of the car’s controls onto the steering wheel, a move learned from F1 increasing both the Italia’s precision and accuracy.