Michael Schumacher seeks test clearance ahead of Ferrari return

Michael Schumacher has been practising in an old Ferrari vehicle. Photograph: Wolfgang Rattay/Reuters

Ferrari have written to the FIA and all its rival teams requesting special dispensation for Michael Schumacher to undertake a day's testing in the team's F60 challenger before his return to Formula One in the European grand prix at Valencia on 23 August.

Regulations forbid any testing during the season apart from strictly controlled straight-line runs to check out aerodynamic development. But it is believed that Ferrari will request on safety grounds that the seven-times world champion – preparing to fill in for the injured Felipe Massa – should be allowed to become acquainted with his new machine before the meeting rather than being pitchforked into the frenzy of Friday's first qualifying session on an unfamiliar Valencia circuit.

Schumacher has spent the past couple of days testing at the Ferrari-owned Mugello circuit near Florence, driving one of the Ferraris in which Kimi Raikkonen won the 2007 world championship, the year after he retired. Driving an old Formula One car does not breach the testing ban, which only applies to the current cars being used by the teams contesting the world championship.

"It's a great thing getting back on the track with an F1 even if this was a car from 2007," he told Ferrari's official website. "After a couple of laps I was able to drive constant lap times and I'm happy with the performance. Now we've got to see how my body and the muscles respond in the next days."

Ferrari 458 Italia debuts 562hp of beautiful seduction

Even a car as good as Ferrari’s F430 has a shelf life, and with the official unveiling of the new 458 Italia, the outgoing model looks old indeed. Pulling some cues from its mid-engine predecessor as well as the new California, the 458 Italia is another breathtaking design by Italian corrozzeria Pininfarina.

Engineering has long been an even more important part of Ferrari’s road cars than styling, and the 458 promises to deliver the best V8 performance of any predecessor. A new 4.5L V8 revs to a stratospheric 9,000 rpm, and on the way it produces 562hp and 398 lb-ft of torque. A sizable 80% of that torque arrives low in the rev range, at 3,250 rpm, partly due to a 12.5:1 compression ratio.

Putting power down to the rear wheels is a seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox, optimizing performance and fuel economy, although with respect to the latter its EU test cycle 13.7L/100km (17.1 mpg US) combined city/highway rating is an improvement yet won’t be winning any awards on the green front.

In the same way that aluminum kept the F430 lightweight, the 458 Italia features all-alloy construction resulting in a curb weight of just 1,380 kilos (3,042 lbs) dry.

Yes, with all that power and such minimal mass to push off the line it’s extremely fast, managing 100km/h in only 3.4 seconds before running to a top speed of 325km/h (202mph). And if you know your Ferrari lore you’ll realize that bypassing the illusive 200mph barrier is a major coup for the Italian brand, at least in a volume production model. The 458 Italia is the first “mainstream” model out of the Ferrari stable to achieve this feat.