Michael Schumacher spent a lot of time testing the 430 Scuderia when it was being developed, carefully applying the method that made him unique on the racetrack for many years. All the ingredients were there: a light and powerful car, comfortable and ergonomic, with an incredible weight/power ratio; ground-effect aerodynamics, which makes the car more effective, at higher speeds; powerful quick-response braking guaranteed by callipers and carbo-ceramic discs, and in particular the manettino mounted on the steering wheel that allows the driver to adjust the car set-up according to the driver’s requirements.

During his racing career, the seventimes World Champion’s work on the manettino and steering wheel-mounted controls, in close association with the engineers and electricians, was one of the reasons for his extraordinary success on the racing track. Schumacher’s suggestions have also had a profound infl uence in the development of Ferrari Formula 1 steering wheels in recent years. The style of the interior is typical of a racing car with the predominant aim of reducing weight and using specifi cally suited, technical materials. The central tunnel has been purposely designed and manufactured in carbon fibre, as have the interior door panels. This is why, when you saw him at the wheel of the 430 Scuderia on the old Nürburgring, you instantly knew what he was looking for in his continuous, methodical adjustments of the controls that coordinate gear change timing, traction, suspension compliance and stability.