That trademark intensity which last year earned Michael Fassbender an Academy Award nomination for the title role in Steve Jobs was doubly apparent during his recent visit to Maranello.

At Fiorano, driving the 488 GTB and F12berlinetta with Corso Pilota's expert instruction, Fassbender's times continued to impress lap after lap, bringing his passion and admiration for Ferrari and Formula One full-circle.

'For my first laps at Fiorano, I started out quite stressed as I learned to adjust to the sheer speed and all the information to absorb, but once I was doing it and found my focus, it actually became very relaxing, in some ways quite meditative,' the actor explained.

'Ferrari is passion with no compromises, and its history as a company has always been about racing and victory. Michael Schumacher is my all-time hero. I've been following F1 since 1990, and those glorious years when he went to Ferrari, and the initial struggles they overcame to win five consecutive World Championships, are an inspiration.'