The Ferrari F430 F1 Test Report

Its 9am, Saturday morning, place Central London, the good news, London is still sleeping and I’ve just been handed the keys to a Rosso Corsa F430 F1 Coupe. I put the key in the ignition; the car automatically starts a number of checks before you can press the steering wheel mounted start button. The starter motor takes seconds before this 490 BHP V8 explodes into life.

Every inch of this car was inspired by the engineering research carried out at Ferrari’s Gestione Sportiva F1 racing department, the result is a highly innovative design characterised by cutting-edge technologies.
The F430 is powered by a new 90 degrees V8 featuring Ferrari’s traditionally uncompromising design approach with a flat-plane crank. This is an all new power unit that does not share any components with the 360 Modena’s engine. Rising from a deep thrum at 1000 rpm though to a hollowing race car bark at 7000 rpm, this V8 song is just stunning any petrolhead would find it hard to resist.

This car is fitted with the F1 paddle shift which effectively halves change times compared to the 360 Modena. Your foot must be on the brake before you pull the metal F1 paddle on the right, the digital display changes from N to 1st the car defaults into auto mode when the engine is switched off, but with a press of a button on the centre console it will select manual mode.

 
I’ve selected 1st lightly pressing the accelerator the car pulls away without fuss. Alter driving around central London looking for a petrol station I decide I’m probably wasting my time, the most sensible thing I can think of is, getting out of London and blasting my way down to the coast, taking some back roads along the way.

I decide to head onto the M4 Motorway but within minutes I am in total gridlock. Time to put the car into auto mode and crawl along with the rest of the traffic. I glance at the digital display and see the outside temperature at 27c it’s started to dawn on me that high temperatures and gridlocked traffic are the worst situation to be in driving a Ferrari. Most supercars would start to huff and puff at this point, i was half expecting dashboard warning lights illuminating like a cheap Christmas tree, but the F430 doesn’t kick up a fuss and is easy to drive in traffic thanks to the F1 gearbox.

I decide to leave the motorway and head for the back roads. Its starts to dawn on me just how comfortable I feel in this cars I’ve always liked the look of the F430 but it never been at the top of my must have list. Somehow today it seems different.

Warmed up, clear of traffic, so I decide it would probably be rude not to find out what it was designed to do. As the revs rise above 4000 rpm all hell breaks loose, inside the exhaust valves open up, allowing the car to breathe easier, and what was urgent V8 howl changes instantly into a hollow race car bark which makes the hairs on the back of your neck stand up not only is this car incredibly quick its is deceiving. The car accelerate to 60 mph in four seconds dead and on to more than 196 mph, all accompanied by one of the best engine sounds you’ll ever hear, the sound bounces of the houses this is just extraordinary.

Unlike most cars the brake callipers on this F430 are made from a solid piece of aluminium, which cuts out the flex from multiple parts. The latest F430, Which now comes with carbon ceramic brakes as standard. They used to be a £10500 option but in January this year Ferrari became the world’s first car manufacturer to fit ceramics as standard across the range.

 
Once again you just cannot help but hit that loud pedal, the throttle response is razor sharp and the whole car just shrinks around you, straights are eaten up with the flick of the paddle and every bend feels like you could have gone 50% faster. The F430 asks you to commit a little more for the next curve instead of scaring the hell out of you.

The F1 paddles has converted me its makes this so much more fun by simply punching through the gears with your foot welded to the floor. Changing gear takes just 150 milliseconds and the F430 will blip the throttle on downshift.

On my way home I start to reflect on my day in a Ferrari F430 and what it all means. The F430 may well be a car that can be used daily but if you did, you would never want to stop driving it. The F430 is proving hassle free and easy to drive around town but just fantasist on the open road. The F430 wasn’t at the top of my garage list but now, its right up there near the top, this is not just a great car, it’s an experience an extraordinary one at that.

From the moment you press the red start button and you hear that traditional Ferrari sound track I knew I would fall in love, In fact if I close my eyes I can still hear that great sound track. A man told me a true saying “other cars take you to an event, with a Ferrari getting there is the event” after driving the F430 I can safely say just how true this saying is.