The third installment of the new Ferrari 458 Italia->ke3479 prerelease extravaganza entitled Performance is an up close look at what will make the future Ferrari excel as a driver's car. Considering that the last installment, Design, was narrated by Paolo Pininfarina, the heir to the historic Italian design studio it is only fitting that the latest member of the Formula One->ke190 elite and the man who brought the Italian racing team back to greatness in the sport throughout the 1990s and into the new millennium.

Wearing a very casual outfit, Michael Schumacher candidly talks about the new sports car's suspension that is comfortable to drive and sporty when it needs to be, the car's previously unseen braking performance and the 458's tremendous acceleration is due to the refined gearbox. 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.

Ever since Michael Schumacher retired from the activity that awarded him seven world championships, five of which came behind the wheel of a Ferrari->ke252, 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 so he would be the man to talk to about what the new Ferrari 458 Italia is like from the driver’s seat.

Press release after the jump.

PRESS RELEASE:

More news on the Ferrari 458 Italia on www.ferrari.com: new photos and interview now on the site in the run-up to the Frankfurt Show

In the run-up to the official unveiling of the Ferrari 458 Italia at the Frankfurt Motor Show on the 15th of September, enthusiasts can find out more about the car on www.ferrari.com. There they will find the first photographs of the 458 Italia's interior and of the steering wheel and instrument binnacle which represent a significant step forward in the concept of the ergonomic interface between driver and car.

In fact the main commands are now grouped on the steering wheel, the secondary commands are handily set in two satellite pods either side of the dash and there are now comprehensive instrument displays on the panel ahead of the driver. These solutions represent an important safety aspect, enabling the driver to concentrate fully on driving. Similarly this layout ensures maximum control of the car in highperformance driving, an uncompromising approach that derives directly from Ferrari's F1 experience.

Working closely with the Ferrari Styling Centre, the engineers have thus reinterpreted the positioning of the major commands to provide a truly driver-oriented cockpit. All steering-column mounted stalks have been eliminated, with the indicators, full beam, flash and windscreen wiper functions now being activated by buttons on the steering wheel boss. The button to select the shock absorber setting is now positioned next to the 'Engine start' button where it falls readily to hand. Behind the wheel are a number of secondary functions, such as the stereo, while the gearbox paddles are now longer making shifts even easier from any steering angle.

The right-hand satellite pod on the dash incorporates controls for the infotainment, the Bluetooth connection, sat-nav, digital speedo and rear parking camera. Clustered on the left-hand satellite pod instead are the optional cruise control, buttons for choosing the video setting of the left-hand dash TFT screen and the on-board computer interface. The latter controls the trip computer, the Vehicle Dynamic Assistance and the display of the car's set-up.

The Vehicle Dynamic Assistance monitors the operating parameters of the most important areas of the car - engine/gearbox, tyres and brakes. The VDA is enabled in the following manettino settings – Race, CT off and CST off – and provides visual confirmation of the status of each component based on an algorithm from parameters reading lateral and longitudinal acceleration, revs and speed. This enables the driver to assess the ideal operating conditions for the car. There are three status settings: WARM-UP (operating temperature too low), GO (ideal operating conditions) and OVER (one or more components are no longer at their optimum level and need cooling).

Along with the photos now on-line, the Ferrari site also includes an exclusive videointerview with Paolo Pininfarina, Chairman of Pininfarina S.p.A., who provides indepth insight into the 458 Italia's design philosophy and exterior styling. The next release on www.ferrari.com will include an analysis of the car's performance characteristics with an interview with seven-times F1 World Champion Michael Schumacher.