Last week I was in Barcelona for a day, to do some testing and coaching, where I was lucky enough to drive both the 458 GT3 and the 488 GT3.
It’s the fourth time I’ve driven both and it’s just crazy how different they are. When people ask me if they’re similar I say “the yellow badge.” The 458 relies more on mechanical grip whereas the 488 is all about downforce – the faster you go in fast corners, the more grip you get, you just have to trust it.
If I had to pick a favourite, the more modern 488 would take it by a hair but there are parts of the 458 I prefer – such as engine noise and steering feel. At the end of the day though, if you want to win races you have to be in the latest machinery.
A Wet Nurburgring?
Tomorrow I pack my bags again and head to the Nurburgring for the final round of the Blancpain Sprint Cup. I will be sharing a 458 GT3 with my Sprint regular, Stephen Earle.
We will be racing on the GP circuit, not to be confused with the legendary Nordschleife, and it will the first time for both of us. That being said I feel like I’m as best prepared as possible and the test last week in Spain was definitely a big help.
The weather around the circuit is never predictable, except that it mostly rains… so this could be our first wet race of the year and my first wet race since 2015 (which I won… just saying). Let’s see how it goes, the 458 is softer than the 488 which could help us.
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