( CNN ) -- Italian Simone Bertazzo climbs into the cockpit of his Ferrari . He straps on his helmet and slides his hands into his gloves . In his mind he prepares to go fast -- very fast . Over the next two minutes he will navigate a hair-raising track , grappling for control of his `` Prancing Horse '' at speeds in excess of 90 mph as his body strains and contorts . But Bertazzo is not behind the wheel of a Formula One car and perhaps even more disconcertingly there 's no safety belt to restrain him should things go awry . Instead he is at the front end of a bobsled and the driver for the Italian team heading to the 2014 Winter Games . The bobsled Bertazzo and compatriots will pilot is the latest product of collaboration between the Italian Olympic Committee ( CONI ) and the country 's legendary automotive manufacturer , who are providing design input to hopefully deliver medal success in Sochi in next year 's Winter Olympics . `` The idea was to share the knowledge between our institute and Ferrari to try to improve all the sports where technology plays a big part in the results , '' CONI deputy general secretary Carlo Mornati told CNN . `` The first option was to start with something that was very similar to the cars , to F1 and I think , in the world of sport , the bobsled was the first option . '' Ferrari is synonymous with high performance , from its sleek , stylish road cars to the F1 machines which have made it the most the most successful constructor in the sport 's history . CONI 's partnership with Ferrari dates back to 2006 , with a Maranello-designed sled taking to the track at the 2010 Winter Games in Vancouver , Canada . Two years later at the Youth Olympics in Innsbruck , Austria , Ferrari 's two-man sled was piloted to gold by Patrick Baumgartner and Alessandro Grande . Now Bertazzo will bid to replicate his younger countrymen 's success by guiding his sled to the top of the podium in February . `` Ferrari has listened to our advice to the letter , studying every little detail and CONI has played a crucial role in coordination , '' Bertazzo said in a statement released by the CONI earlier this month . F1 and bobsled are sports where thousandths of a second can be the difference between success and failure , small margins within which Ferrari 's team of engineers are used to operating . `` We have selected from our F1 team and our road cars department some engineers who have achieved some brilliant results in F1 and were looking for new opportunities within the company , '' explained Ferrari engineer Ferdinando Cannizzo . `` After that we set up a brand new team , defined a new area and put this team to work on this new program . `` Clearly a new team is a new challenge , but it seems that results are coming , so we succeed . '' CONI is not the only Olympic committee looking to motorsport for a competitive edge . The British team will be riding a sled developed in conjunction with McLaren , while the Americans will be piloting a BMW-crafted sled at the newly-built Sanki sliding center . But Ferrari 's involvement with CONI does n't end with bobsled . Other winter disciplines such as skiing have benefited from wind tunnel testing and Ferrari 's knowledge of aerodynamics , as well as Summer Games sports such as archery , rowing , canoeing and kayaking . Ferrari 's work in all of those events involves helping an object move through the air , water or snow with minimal drag , which is where aerodynamics engineer Luciano Mariella comes in . `` At the moment our aerodynamic approach is based on wind tunnel tests and numerical simulation based on commutation of fluid dynamics , '' explained Mariella . `` This is the most important approach because every tool has its strengths and weaknesses and the integrated approach is telling us how to achieve the best possible results . '' If Mariella and his team get in right , then there should be nothing but clear air between the Italian team and Olympic gold in Sochi .
Italy will ride a Ferrari - designed bobsled at the 2012 Winter Olympics . Italian National Team has been partnered with Ferrari since 2009 . A Ferrari design won gold for Italy at the 2010 World Winter Games .