tomorrow we all will be watching those cars in the middle of the desert, and may be that some of us does not remember how dificult is what that guys inside are doing. So, let me bring you this video to see what happens when a normal guy tries to drive the R25

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EGUZJVY-sHo

please respect the guy who is 0.2 s slower that his team mate

Actually, this probably happens:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gJpURLp4wYI

Mind you, that's no normal guy. That's someone that dictates driving standards for the real drivers, isn't it?

I respect the physical fitness required to drive these cars, but from what I've seen and heard, modern F1 cars aren't really all that difficult to drive in terms of skill. An inferior driver only .2 slower than his teammate is probably largely a result of that.

Oh dear That looked very silly

Richard Hammond was a lucky guy for that opportunity.

The cars are absolute monsters.

totally, I agree the skill needed is acquirable after "several" laps once you are fit
all you need is to be able to judge your braking point traveling 83 meters per second and balancing 150 pounds of brake pressure while counteracting 4.0 G's of force
nothing any person couldn't do

That is what happens when you put a really powerful F1 car on the tiny Stowe circuit at Silverstone.

Like flying an aeroplane in your living room. It was always going to look silly.

Absolutely. These guys are still the cream of the crop.

Well, F1 cars aren´t really all that difficult if you are a pro pilot from lower categorias who has been riding high performance cars for years.

For a normal mortal with no experience... well Richard showed how we would look like XD

The worst thing by far is getting the tyres to optimun temperature. You need more than average skills just to make that.

Personally, I always liked this one.
Giving two pro drivers at the top of their game two totally different cars to drive.

Don't underestimate how difficult it is to drive something like an F1 anywhere near it's limit. Sure it looks dead easy on TV, but reality is so far from this.

It's so easy to underestimate both the speed and just how physical it is. Even if you had the natural ability and reactions to drive an f1 car quickly, trying to do it while subjected to peaks of 7G for up to 2hrs straight without losing concentation even for a moment is well beyond most people.

If you haven't done so before, get yourself into a REAL kart sometime soon (not some arrive and drive rubbish). You'll be stunned just how quick it feels and how physical it is. If you've not done it before you'll be lucky to do more than 10 laps physically and mentally (that is if you can even keep it pointing in the right direction). That's 35bhp and no aero ... now imagine scaling it up to an f1 car, under the pressure of a race with 25 other cars wheel to wheel with you. Even people who do exceptionally well in slower racing formula often still get to F1 and find themselves unable to adapt to the speed of the cars.

Older F1 cars were a different challenge, challenging in different ways (manual shifting etc) .. but ultimately even driving an f1 car within 5-10secs of the pace for more than 5 laps is beyond the capabilities of the vast majority of people.

"Only .2 slower" is a relative thing too. If you are a racing driver, consistently 2 tenths off your team mate in equal equipment, believe me that feels like a lifetime! The gaps in F1 are smaller now largely due to the increased quality of both the cars produced and the drivers who make it to f1.

But from the point of view of the guy with the sports car, who's done a track day to know what "going fast" is like, the F1 car really is mythical.

I bet the 2.0L Formula Renault would feel like the world is exploding to me.

yep. and Stowe circuit doesnt exactly have the most grip in the world

You can't even imagine how much better the worst Formula Ford is over the best road going supercars.

Increased quality of drivers? I don't buy that for a moment.

Absolutely.
I got to play around in one of those for a couple of days at Willow Springs
What an eye opener.
I drove up there from LA in a 930 Porsche, when I got back in it to drive home it felt like I was driving a bus.
There is a new track development going in about a half hour from where I work, 3 tracks with one of them being about 2 miles. It's being built as 'country club' for super car owners and I'm seriously considering joining and putting some sort of Formula Car in the garage there to go play with. The place is out in the middle of nowhere and they are supposed to start moving dirt in about a month or so, hopefully I can get some fresh Goggle Earth shots to post as it progresses to share here.
Desert Center Airport

Absolutely. The drivers who make it to F1 these days almost without exception have incredible mileage behind them in cars and kart before they even make it to F1. Racing every weekend from 8yrs old or younger is the norm. The result is that the overall standard of drivers higher up the motorsports ladder is higher than it ever has been. I'm not talking about "raw talent" here, but motor racing is a sport where ability is governed by both that raw talent and practice. In days gone by there were probably drivers racing in f1 who had less track time in their entire racing career than some current drivers have gone in any given year.

This doesn't change the fact that the exceptional talents from the past would still probably have been exceptional talents today ... but the other drivers who make up the grids these days are probably far better prepared and thus better 'quality' drivers than they were in the past.

i get that feeling when ive been karting. would love to become a professional racing driver or at least have a go in a racing car at some point

From what plant have you descended. They're so easy to drive that Fisichella went from hero to zero in two races. One of the most experienced drivers on the grid, and he couldn't pedal a Ferrari quickly.

I think the only people who forget are the console game generation....

agree. That 0.2 s were just to put some small figure and remark that even that sloooow driver who never beats his team mate deserves all our respect.


exactly¡
.
laying down in the sofa flying over the kerbs No pain, no sweat, no fear ...

I don't doubt it.

I want to do one of those Formula Ford days at Silverstone.

I just wish there was no tc in F1. There isn't? Could've fooled me..