Driving an F1 car. One word, GRIP!!
Discussion
You were RUBBISH! Maldonado would have nearly had you! 
I'm not jealous in the slightest... well, maybe a tiny bit... okay, a bloody lot! I think you did really well in that car, looked pro to me and certainly better than Hammond did and about 90 percent more committed to it than I could ever hope to have been.
No, not jealous at all.
Excuse me for a while, off to the bathroom to dry my eyes
I'm not jealous in the slightest... well, maybe a tiny bit... okay, a bloody lot! I think you did really well in that car, looked pro to me and certainly better than Hammond did and about 90 percent more committed to it than I could ever hope to have been.
No, not jealous at all.
Excuse me for a while, off to the bathroom to dry my eyes
Many thanks for sharing what looked to be a fantastic experience 
You were skating round the outside of turn 3 (?) on lap 2 weren`t you !
How did you get on with Left Foot Braking ? I`d have expected that would be pretty tricky to get your head around with such a short time in the car.
You were skating round the outside of turn 3 (?) on lap 2 weren`t you !
How did you get on with Left Foot Braking ? I`d have expected that would be pretty tricky to get your head around with such a short time in the car.
Awesome, that's something you will both never forget, what an experience, especially at a circuit like Barcelona!
I have been working within F1 for quite a number of years and was fortunate enough to get a ride in the Minardi two seater around Brands Hatch years ago as a perk, it's something you cannot really describe to anyone, it needs to be experienced to fully appreciate!
I have been working within F1 for quite a number of years and was fortunate enough to get a ride in the Minardi two seater around Brands Hatch years ago as a perk, it's something you cannot really describe to anyone, it needs to be experienced to fully appreciate!
Fantastic, looks like an epic trip, thanks for posting the info and video links. Looks like you did just fine to me. Been toying with the idea of doing this for a few months, so it's nice to have an idea of budget. Looks like a very professional but relaxed set up, which is good.
I've been a bit concerned about space and size. Obviously, like most PH'ers, I'm powerfully built. But most of that power is now around my stomach and arse (lol). Thinking I may need a year or so to trim down a bit before I feel really comfortable in one of these.
A really great report and run down of your brilliant experience. You've got me looking to commit to doing this, in the next couple of years. How many people were at the session you attended? I imagine it's 6 - 10 people driving? Guess they lay on some food etc, while you're there?
I've been a bit concerned about space and size. Obviously, like most PH'ers, I'm powerfully built. But most of that power is now around my stomach and arse (lol). Thinking I may need a year or so to trim down a bit before I feel really comfortable in one of these.
A really great report and run down of your brilliant experience. You've got me looking to commit to doing this, in the next couple of years. How many people were at the session you attended? I imagine it's 6 - 10 people driving? Guess they lay on some food etc, while you're there?
That's pretty amazing. I'm actually quite surprised an 'ordinary' person can just get in an F1 car and drive it? It looked really difficult when Hammond tried it, with all the getting tyres/brakes up to temperature and going quick enough to get downforce. I also thought F1 cars didn't really have much mechanical grip and it was all down to said downforce?
RobM77 said:
This sounds amazing - I look forward to watching the videos tonight.
I drive a Formula Renault and can confirm that yes, although the mechanical differences to a road car like a Caterham or Elise amount to a very long list, grip is the main difference that you feel going between the two. As a measure of this, consider that a Formula Renault has roughly the same power to weight ratio as a Caterham R400 (around 400bhp/tonne). Acceleration will be the closest thing between the two, as it's the least affected by aero, but you're still looking at 0-100mph in 5 seconds compared to 9 seconds (both are manufacturer's quoted times). Lap times (which include the really big differences of cornering and braking) show an even starker difference: I'd guess on a 2 minute lap (e.g. Sivlerstone GP) you'd be looking at adding around 30 seconds for the Caterham in road spec, which is a similar difference as between a hot hatch and a McLaren P1. That's a measly little FR of course; F1 is another kettle of fish entirely (25 seconds quicker than the FR on that lap) and I can't even imagine what 5-6G cornering feels like. I'll probably never get the chance to try, but I shall enjoy watching your video and imagining what it's like!
Regarding the setups, yes, for any single seater used in such a venture they'd almost certainly they'd be using a fairly dullened setup and different tyres to race spec, but I don't think most people would notice the difference if they've never driven a car like that before.
Regarding the costs, it sounds like reasonable value to me. I don't know exactly what F1 cars cost to run, but I know what the engines cost (someone I know looked into doing BOSS once) and can extrapolate the other costs and yes, £5k doesn't surprise me at all.
Yep, I was blown away by the grip in a Formula Renault, I was well aware that I was getting nowhere near its limits in the time I had, but already going faster than I imagined possible to start with. I imagine any aero car for the first time will have a similar effect on people I drive a Formula Renault and can confirm that yes, although the mechanical differences to a road car like a Caterham or Elise amount to a very long list, grip is the main difference that you feel going between the two. As a measure of this, consider that a Formula Renault has roughly the same power to weight ratio as a Caterham R400 (around 400bhp/tonne). Acceleration will be the closest thing between the two, as it's the least affected by aero, but you're still looking at 0-100mph in 5 seconds compared to 9 seconds (both are manufacturer's quoted times). Lap times (which include the really big differences of cornering and braking) show an even starker difference: I'd guess on a 2 minute lap (e.g. Sivlerstone GP) you'd be looking at adding around 30 seconds for the Caterham in road spec, which is a similar difference as between a hot hatch and a McLaren P1. That's a measly little FR of course; F1 is another kettle of fish entirely (25 seconds quicker than the FR on that lap) and I can't even imagine what 5-6G cornering feels like. I'll probably never get the chance to try, but I shall enjoy watching your video and imagining what it's like!
Regarding the setups, yes, for any single seater used in such a venture they'd almost certainly they'd be using a fairly dullened setup and different tyres to race spec, but I don't think most people would notice the difference if they've never driven a car like that before.
Regarding the costs, it sounds like reasonable value to me. I don't know exactly what F1 cars cost to run, but I know what the engines cost (someone I know looked into doing BOSS once) and can extrapolate the other costs and yes, £5k doesn't surprise me at all.
.(To be fair, even in the dax if I've not tracked it for some time, it takes me several hours to realise just how much grip it has.)
Great post OP. Just making that noise down the straight must have been a superb feeling
You've got me looking into this now..
£15k is a lot of money to blow on a trip (imo of course), but at the same time the little snippet I watched whilst at work... it looked like an F1 car, sounded like an F1 car, and you were an ordinary bloke driving it.. that is a hell of a life experience for the money, and one very few people can say they've had.
Great writeup and thanks for sharing with us the photos and particularly the GoPro footage.
£15k is a lot of money to blow on a trip (imo of course), but at the same time the little snippet I watched whilst at work... it looked like an F1 car, sounded like an F1 car, and you were an ordinary bloke driving it.. that is a hell of a life experience for the money, and one very few people can say they've had.
Great writeup and thanks for sharing with us the photos and particularly the GoPro footage.
Wow wow wow. What an experience. You've just convinced me to do this.
I've been on 4 Palmersport days over the past 5 years - that's as far my track experience goes. I thought they were the 'ultimate' track experience days - but this takes it to a whole new level. I'm aware of F1 track days with an old Arrows (think it's at three sisters?) but that's on outdoor kart track - I can imagine you can't really push the car.
If I'm honest, I had no idea you could drive a recent-ish F1 car like this.
Would also appreciate more information on pricing. The website says prices from £3.3k for the F1 experience at Circuit de Catalunya. How much extra does the Williams car cost? Plus extra laps in it? Also, how much was the sim day at Royston and how many laps do you get in it?
Finally, what speeds were you hitting on the straights out of interest? And around some of the corners? Presumably you get some telemetry, similar to Palmersport days for the F3000 car?
Cheers!
I've been on 4 Palmersport days over the past 5 years - that's as far my track experience goes. I thought they were the 'ultimate' track experience days - but this takes it to a whole new level. I'm aware of F1 track days with an old Arrows (think it's at three sisters?) but that's on outdoor kart track - I can imagine you can't really push the car.
If I'm honest, I had no idea you could drive a recent-ish F1 car like this.
Would also appreciate more information on pricing. The website says prices from £3.3k for the F1 experience at Circuit de Catalunya. How much extra does the Williams car cost? Plus extra laps in it? Also, how much was the sim day at Royston and how many laps do you get in it?
Finally, what speeds were you hitting on the straights out of interest? And around some of the corners? Presumably you get some telemetry, similar to Palmersport days for the F3000 car?
Cheers!
Awesome!
You can do it at Three Sisters for a more moderate amount but its a teeny track so you can't really boot it!
https://www.trackdays.co.uk/driving-experience/thr...
You can do it at Three Sisters for a more moderate amount but its a teeny track so you can't really boot it!
https://www.trackdays.co.uk/driving-experience/thr...
WOW!
That looks amazing. Unfortunately I'm just watching P2 on the other screen and it's making you look rather pedestrian.
I bet it felt bloody fast though! Closest I have been is in the single seaters at Bedford on a PalmerSport day and that was scary enough.
Big thumbs up, I'm sure you will be living it for some time yet.
Amazing experience, Thanks for posting.
That looks amazing. Unfortunately I'm just watching P2 on the other screen and it's making you look rather pedestrian.
I bet it felt bloody fast though! Closest I have been is in the single seaters at Bedford on a PalmerSport day and that was scary enough.Big thumbs up, I'm sure you will be living it for some time yet.
Amazing experience, Thanks for posting.
Dave Hedgehog said:
Hubris said:
Awesome, but 15 grand for 10 laps! ??
/faints
a fraction of what it costs an F1 team to run 1 lap /faints
Let's face it, you'll probably still remember it in your rocking chair when can't remember what date it is.
CABC said:
Dave Hedgehog said:
Hubris said:
Awesome, but 15 grand for 10 laps! ??
/faints
a fraction of what it costs an F1 team to run 1 lap /faints
Let's face it, you'll probably still remember it in your rocking chair when can't remember what date it is.
Do remember also that even in club racing, spending £50k for a season isn't unusual for the front runners, and certainly in historics up at the level of F1 cars I'd expect at least £100k a year. In a 7 race season that's your £15k per weekend. I once enquired about arrive and drive in a Caterham championship and it was £4k a weekend, and that's without travel, hotel, tyres etc. What I'm trying to say is that what the OP spent seems reasonable value for what it was. Running an F1 car is a very expensive affair requiring multiple skilled engineers, frequent engine work, refreshing suspension etc.
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