Day 15 - I've Died and gone to Heaven

OK, life does not get any better than this. Today I drove a Formula 1 car flat-out and Sharen has been taken for a spin in a 3 seater Formula 1 car. I have wondered for a long time how it would be to actually drive a F1 car, but my imaginings could not prepare me for the actual experience. It was awesome beyond words, thrilling, genuinely un-nerving and such a violent and overwhelming assult on all of the senses. Despite your brain saying this is crazy, this car is going to kill you, just enough concious will remained to keep the throttle flat.

Yes, that's me!

Me in the Formula 3 car

I would like to be able to say that I drove like Michael Schumacher, but I cannot. This is a whole new solar system of car performance that I just could not come to grips with in the 5 laps I had. I drove it as fast as I dared, but not so there was any chance I would suffer the ignomy of crashing their very expensive F1 car, like one other driver did... It was made all the more difficult by my too-large feet fouling the accelerator and brake, causing a few tense moments when I couldn't release the throttle fully. Anyway, I did experience an F1 car at full throttle, reaching over 300kph on the front straight, talk about INTENSE. Very similar intensity to skydiving. The F1 car I drove was the Benetton that Giancarlo Fisichella campaigned in 1998 and got one Pole Position, has a 780hp Cosworth V8 and only weighed 650kg.

We have incar and external video of the drive which, I'll upload when I return.