In Italy, stealing secrets from Ferrari ranks right up near the top of the most heinous crimes that you can commit. Following a long, drawn out process, two former Scuderia Ferrari engineers, who stood accused of stealing secrets from Maranello and giving them to rivals at Toyota F1, have been convicted. Pending appeal, Angelo Santini was sentenced to nine months and Mauro Iacconi to 16 behind bars on charges of industrial espionage.

For those who think this year is going to be an exciting F1 season, next year should be a stunner. The FIA has confirmed that traction control will not be allowed in 2008. With traction control about to be banned from F1, Formula One Drivers are split on the decision. Most have said they support the move, but most racers will usually say they prefer fewer electronic aids getting in the way of pure mechanical feel and control of the vehicle.

Lately it seems that it has been a long wait for a Ferrari. If you actually put down a deposit and signed physical paperwork at a Ferrari dealer, you might have been waiting for as long as 18 months for your new Italian steed. That’s the typical lag time between order and delivery from Maranello. If it’s a 599 GTB, you’re looking at around two years’ wait.

But Ferrari hopes to get their well-heeled customers behind leather-wrapped wheels sooner, by increasing output by five-percent. At first that doesn’t sound like much, but considering Ferrari sold 5,671 cars last year, a five-percent boost in production will mean about 283 (283.55 to be exact) more Italian supercars on the world’s roads.