Ferrari has been drafted in to help the Italian athletes in their pursuit of Olympic gold this summer with the sportscar maker set to advise CONI in the areas of aerodynamics and lightweight materials.

Ferrari has been drafted in to help the Italian athletes in their pursuit of Olympic gold this summer. The Maranello sportscar maker is set to advise CONI in the main areas of aerodynamics and materials.

Whilst most help offered by Ferrari will focus around Winter Olympic Games' disciplines such as the luge and bobsleigh, this summer's Games in Beijing will also come under the microscope to the benefit of sports such as canoeing or rowing. The agreement is expected to be widened in the future.

The announcement, which has been titled as Insieme per Vincere, was made at a press conference held today in Rome and hosted by Ferrari President Luca di Montezemolo, Italian National Olympic Committe (CONI) President Giovanni Petrucci, CONI Secretary-General Raffaele Pagnozzi, and Scuderia Ferrari aerodynamicist Ferdinando Cannizzo.

"If in the victories of the athletes, the federations and CONI, there is a millimetre of Ferrari help, we will be proud," said di Montezemolo during the press conference. The help offered by Maranello will focus around the bobsleigh, skating, luge, sailing, canoeing and skiing squads who will most likely see their equipment examined in depth at Maranello, including in the F1 team's wind tunnel. Material's used will also come under the microscope with Ferrari offering advice it has gained by being positioned at the cutting edge of automotive technology development.

An array of top Italian athletes took part in today's event including Armin Zoeggeler (luge), Luca Badoer (Scuderia Ferrari official test driver), Vanessa Ferrari (artistic gymnastics), Carlo Mornati (rowing), Aldo Montano (sabre-fencing), Margherita Granbassi (foil-fencing), Filippo Magnini (swimming), Claudia Corsini (pentathlon), Sara Bertoli (pentathlon), Fabrizio Tosini (bob), Francesco D’Aniello (shooting).