Many Method 1 followers who should not skilled drivers could have, at the least as soon as of their lives, imagined that if put to the take a look at they may drive an F1 automotive. Sadly, that’s not the case.
Method 1 is a sport that goes deep inside you should you adore it. Past the memes which have proliferated through the years, everybody has sooner or later thought they may drive in addition to an expert driver. And plenty of may need puzzled to themselves, ‘Nicely, possibly I may drive a Method 1 automotive too.’ Sadly for many followers, that’s removed from actuality. You don’t simply change into a driver in a single day—you may’t all of the sudden go from driving a highway automotive to a Method 1 automotive.
Brad Pitt didn’t really drive an F1 automotive
In cinematic fiction, we’ve seen the long-lasting Brad Pitt drive a Method 1 automotive at over 60 years previous. After all, we have a tendency to think about film magic, however in actuality, the American actor drove a modified F2 automotive after taking classes from none aside from Lewis Hamilton. Credit score to Pitt for making an attempt to disprove the notion that non-drivers can not deal with an F1 automotive or, on the very least, full a lot of laps with an honest ‘lap time,’ because it’s so typically described as we speak.
The reason from David Coulthard
David Coulthard, former McLaren, Williams, and Purple Bull driver with 13 F1 wins, explains that an untrained particular person can not drive an F1 automotive at race velocity for lengthy: “A traditional particular person would final 10 laps in a Grand Prix, and I’m being beneficiant. Perhaps solely 5.”
This assertion just isn’t exaggerated. The physique makes all of the distinction—or slightly, the coaching. Enduring as much as 5G in corners and beneath braking is inhuman; it means carrying greater than 450 kg in your physique. To place it into perspective, for an 80 kg particular person, the neck should deal with the equal of 40 kg! That’s why actual drivers prepare each day, together with their neck muscle mass.
Leg energy is crucial too. Braking requires at the least 45 kg of strain, repeated consistently over a race that may last as long as two hours. David Coulthard explains: “Bodily, everybody talks concerning the neck: a robust neck is unquestionably required to drive a Grand Prix automotive since you expertise over 5G in braking and lateral hundreds. However the different issue is inside organs. Below excessive G-force, the center, lungs, abdomen, all the things contained in the physique strikes.”
And past the bodily side, the thoughts should be skilled. A Method 1 driver’s response time is roughly 200 milliseconds, in comparison with 500–600 milliseconds for a median particular person. It might appear small, however at 300 km/h this distinction equals about 10 meters—an infinite distance for anybody behind the wheel of an F1 automotive.
Vicky Piria’s perspective
This idea was additionally defined a number of months in the past by Vicky Piria, driver and Sky expertise, who spoke on Gazzoli’s BSMT podcast. She was equally blunt: “For my part, even simply leaving the pits could be troublesome. The clutch is on the steering wheel, and it’s a must to pull a lever. You threat stalling instantly, there’s a ton of settings. The true distinction is braking velocity and the corners, particularly the quick ones. On the straight, you get used to it shortly and really feel a lot safer.”
Jan 1, 2026
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