Now that the Ferrari 488 Pista has made its public debut at the Geneva Motor Show, the time has come to talk about the real-world adventures showcasing the track special. And the freshest shenanigan of the kind involves the Pista being hooned by none other than Valentino Rossi.
The Prancing Horse invited Il Dottore to its Fiorano test track, where he was invited to get behind the wheel of the 720 hp V8 animal. And, as you can expect, the Moto GP star didn't hesitate to put the spiced-up 488 through its paces.
So yes, Rossi drifted the hell out of the Fezza. After all, going sideways is a normal part of testing the Ferrari 488 Pista, since this introduced the Ferrari Dynamic Enhancer.
We're looking at a feature that involves advanced braking-delivered torque vectoring to help the driver through the twisty bits.
The Pista, which comes with a dry weight of just 1,280 kg (make that 2,822 lbs), the machine might be a lightweight special, but it's still far from the power-to-weight ratio of the two-wheeled demons Rossi is accustomed with.
Speaking of Rossi on two wheels, we'll remind you that the athlete recently signed a two-year contract with Yamana, which will see him competing until the end of the 2019 season - keep in mind that the Italian is currently 39 and doesn't show any intention to put the helmet down.
Returning to the Ferrari 488 and the Fiorano test track, we'll remind you that a recent prototype sighting allowed us to talk about Ferrari's electrified future.
To be more precise, we came across what should be a 488 hybrid test mule, with this performing an all-electric takeoff that was caught on camera.
The production result of the gas-electric hardware will be delivered next year and there are two main rumors surrounding this. First of all, the Prancing Horse could introduce a plug-in hybrid version of the 488.
Secondly, the gas-electric hardware might show up in the Ferrari SUV, which is also expected to land next year.
In his quest to bring you the most impressive automotive creations, Andrei relies on learning as a superpower. There's quite a bit of room in the garage that is this aficionado's heart, so factory-condition classics and widebody contraptions with turbos poking through the hood can peacefully coexist. Full profile
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