What's it like to drive a Formula One car?

What's it like to drive a Formula One car?

Only a handful of the most talented drivers in the world ever get the chance to answer that question. Yet I was invited to attend the Michelin Driving Experience—a full day of driving race cars—culminating with the ultimate driving experience: piloting a Formula One car.

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Piloting a Formula One car is the ultimate experience for a driving enthusiast.
Photo: Rick Dole - Michelin North America

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I joined a handful of U.S. journalists from automotive publications such as Road & Track, Car and Driver, Motor Trend, and AutoWeek for a full day of testing Michelin's new Pilot Sport PS2 ultra high-performance tires at the Circuit de Catalunya Formula One track in Barcelona, Spain. 

Following the day of testing tires, we participated in the Michelin Driving Experience, a full-day immersion in race cars leading up to the final drive in a Formula One car. 

 

After donning fire-resistant driving suits, complete with racing shoes and gloves, and a few introductory remarks, the day began with lapping sessions in Porsche 911 GT3 Cup cars. We strapped into Porsche's racing version of the 911 GT3 street car powered by a 390-horsepower 3.6-liter flat six-cylinder engine, with a total weight of 2,535 lbs. In groups of four we took to the track and did our best to keep up with the Michelin instructor in the lead car. 

From the Porsches we moved to 205-horsepower Martini Formula 3 race cars, which weigh a mere 937 lbs. 

The Michelin staff kept a close eye on our driving skills and car control during the two days of driving. If there was any question about a driver's ability to handle the Formula One car, that driver would not drive, and it was made very clear that if we went off the track at any point, we would be watching from the sidelines for the rest of the day. 

Formula One represents the absolute pinnacle of racing technology with teams such as Ferrari, BMWWilliamsF1, McLaren Mercedes, and Renault spending the equivalent of hundreds of millions of dollars per year in the hopes of fielding a front-running car. The cars are state-of-the-art single-seat, open-wheel race cars capable of speeds in excess of 200 mph. 

The Formula One series appears at venues around the world, including the U.S. Grand Prix at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Drivers of these cars are considered to be the best in the world, and some are paid more than $10 million per year. For more information about Formula One racing visit FOX Sports on MSN. 

Although the car I drove was a few years removed from actual Formula One competition, I was assured that it was still representative of what the Formula One drivers experience today.

 

My Turn to Drive
When my name was called I quickly climbed into the tight confines of the cockpit of the F1 car that was parked at the start/finish line. 

At 5 feet 10 inches tall and 170 lbs., I don't often feel big. But in the world of Formula One racing, where the heaviest drivers might weigh 150 lbs., I'm about as big a driver as will ever squeeze into one of these cars. 

Once I shoehorned myself into the cockpit, two of the Michelin Driving Experience staff set to work tightened all the belts. One wrapped around the upper part of each leg, one went across my pelvis, and one went over each shoulder, pinning me to the seat. I couldn't move even if I wanted to—and I was right where I wanted to be. 

I have driven other formula cars, but in this Arrows A18 I sat much lower in the chassis. My line of sight was just over the cowl, and I felt like I couldn't see over the front tires. The Arrows A18 was raced in 1997 by former World Champion Damon Hill and Pedro Diniz, powered by a Yamaha engine. The A18 that I was about to drive is powered by a 3.0-liter Cosworth V8 producing 650 horsepower. 

A radio in the helmet was intended to provide contact with the Michelin support staff to coach me through the process of putting this high-tech car in motion, but once in the car I couldn't hear anything from the staff. Ominous black clouds on the horizon signaled an approaching storm that precluded any attempt to correct the problem, so I had to rely on hand signals to coach me through getting the car moving from a standstill in the middle of the long straightaway. 

After tightening all my belts and checking that the car was in neutral, I was instructed to keep my foot off the throttle and the Michelin support staff moved to the back of the car to start it with the external starter. I heard the starter whir and then the engine fired and with a blip of the throttle, I was in control of the car. 

When I glanced to my right I saw the Porsche race car that would follow me around the track. I hadn't noticed the chase car earlier, but in the driver's seat was one of the professional race drivers from the Michelin staff who had been teaching us throughout the day. In the passenger seat was a medical doctor, and both were wearing fire-resistant driving suits. This assured me that if anything were to go terribly wrong I would have the attention needed, and at the same time it emphasized the seriousness of what I was about to undertake. 

The approaching storm had moved up the afternoon schedule so there was no time to waste. My coach stood about 10 yards in front of me and began hand signals. With his right hand he motioned for me to press the clutch pedal, which was very stiff, with very little travel; then he raised the index finger of his other hand to indicate that I should select first gear. Once I was in first gear, he motioned with his left hand for me to bring the engine rpm up; when I reached the correct level he indicated that I should hold the throttle. At that point he began to raise his right hand very slowly to indicate I should release the clutch pedal. 

As instructed I released the clutch pedal very slowly and the car began to move forward. Once I had release the clutch pedal fully, I squeezed the throttle a little more and then shifted to second at a fairly low speed as we had been instructed to do to avoid spinning the tires. 

The clutch would not be needed to shift gears while the car was moving because an F1 transmission allows the gears to mesh without the need to use the clutch. As I accelerated down the main straight I became more aware of how low you sit in this car; I was just barely looking over the front bodywork, and the front tires were about the same height as my head. 

It took several attempts to shift into third gear as I noted the timing of the throttle with a pull of the shift paddle to make the gear change. The shift paddles are located behind the steering wheel at your fingertips. The paddle on the right is used for upshifts; the one on the left is for downshifts. We had been warned that the brake pedal required considerable pressure and I braked quite early for turn one, with nothing to gain and everything to lose by waiting too late. 

The real Formula One drivers approach this corner at 200 mph or more, before braking to 80 mph for the 90-degree right turn. I was probably only going half that speed, but even with cold brakes and cold tires, the car slowed quickly. 

With 650 horsepower, this race car that I was completely responsible for had about three times the horsepower of an average street car, but weighs only one-third as much, at just 1,102 lbs. 

Pick Up the Pace
As I gradually picked up speed I thought to myself, "I was going faster than this in the Porsche, I should be going faster," and as I glanced in the mirror I could clearly see the Porsche chase car keeping up with me, confirming that it was time to step on it. 

Through the next few sections of the track I began to get more comfortable and realized that very quickly this dream ride would be over. As my confidence increased, I planned how I would take full advantage of the rest of this once-in-a-lifetime drive. 

I braked hard for the sharp left-hander and downshifted to second gear. Accelerating up the hill through the quick right-hander I just touched the curb that marked the edge of the track. The curb is often more slippery than the track surface and I was not yet confident enough to drive over it like the F1 drivers do for a quicker line up the hill. 

I short-shifted up to third gear before the next right turn, keeping a nice even throttle through the fast right-hander. Once I was sure that I had enough track at the exit of the corner I pushed the throttle down hard and experienced the fierce acceleration that only this machine can deliver. 

From a speed of about 70-80 mph the car shot forward—within a couple of seconds I shifted to fourth gear, continuing to accelerate hard toward the next corner. My speed was now probably approaching 150 mph and the short burst of speed was by far the quickest acceleration that I had ever experienced.

As I rapidly approached the next corner, my confidence and my knowledge of the brakes had increased so I waited later and I used the brakes a lot harder. I shifted down to second and picked up the throttle through the corner, accelerating up the short distance to the 180-degree right hander. 

My drive was almost over now, with just a couple of sections remaining, including a longer downhill straight before the last turn back onto the main straight and the end of my lap. As I accelerated hard on the downhill section, I wished that I had just one more lap—exactly the reason why this was a one-lap experience and not two! 

As I turned onto the main straight, I accelerated for as long as I thought that I could without scaring the Michelin staff into thinking that I wasn't going to stop. I brought the car to a stop at the start/finish line and the engine was quickly shut off. 

I climbed from the cockpit exhilarated from the experience of driving this powerful, intimidating machine, relishing that I was one of only a select few who ever get the opportunity to experience this level of performance. 

Although I had barely touched the true potential of this machine, I had experienced the brutal acceleration and the tremendous braking, along with all the other sensations of driving at the pinnacle of the sport. 

I had succeeded in accomplishing my main goal: At the end of the day, I did not want to be the person that everyone was talking about. There are really only two ways to end up in that position, and since I didn't have enough pure talent to impress all of the veteran drivers in attendance, the only other way was to make a big enough mistake to get everyone's attention. 

I'm sure that I could have pushed a little harder and gotten away with it, but exploring the limits of a Formula One car in a single lap didn't seem like the best way to wrap up two great days of driving at the Catalunya Circuit in Barcelona. 

Two of the drivers in our group who left the start-finish line in a Formula One car returned to the pit lane in the passenger seat of a different car with one of the instructors at the wheel. The exact details were quite sketchy, but I was glad to complete my Formula One experience without any unwarranted recognition. 

Two-Seat Formula One Car
Michelin also offered rides in a two-seat Formula One car with top European driver Jean-Philippe Belloc at the wheel. The two-seat car is a more eye-opening experience because you experience the true performance of the car, but I had to choose between riding and driving. It was a difficult decision, but I couldn't pass up the opportunity to drive the car myself. But for those who simply could not fit in the cockpit, the two-seat car was a welcome alternative. 

The two-seat car is also an Arrows chassis that has been lengthened so that a passenger can sit directly behind the driver. With Jean-Philippe at the wheel, the passenger gets to really experience the capabilities of the car. 

One person who was not able to drive the Formula One car was Kim Wolfkill, Senior Editor at Road & Track magazine and former assistant editor here at MSN Autos. Even though Kim is quite fit and a very experienced race car driver, when he attempted to squeeze his 6-foot 2-inch frame into the cockpit he couldn't turn the steering wheel. 

Kim provided an excellent summary up the experience of riding in the two-seat car: "No road car, or for that matter race car, can adequately prepare you for the fury of an F1 machine. From the moment we left the pit lane until the time we completed our lap, my mind struggled to keep up with what my eyes were seeing. The world literally becomes a blur as the car accelerates out of turns with unworldly force, only to slow even more violently as we brake and approach each turn. Truly amazing performance." 

While I didn't quite have the same level of experience in my drive, just that one lap in the Formula One car was an experience most enthusiasts can only dream about, and made the Michelin Driving Experience into the ultimate driving experience.