I drove an F1 car, but I had to work up to it though by seat time in a 911 GT3 Cup Car, then a Formula Renault, then the 1997 F1 Arrows. The year was 2004 and the circuit was the Circuit-de-Catalunya in Barcelona, Spain. I had been working as a professional test-driver for the big French tire maker for tin-top street cars and tires, but not formula car work. Anyway, I got the chance to drive an F1 car so I did...
The experience was intense and that's putting it very mildly. The sound, the vibration, the G-Forces, the intensity of the shifting, the massive braking, accelerating and cornering forces of a full aero car were simply off the charts intense. I made a bunch of notes about the experience which I have squirreled away somewhere. I'll try to find them if your interested.
The question the O.P. asks is a good one -
M5Rick - and the answer is; IF the normal average joe is driving the F1 car and using the downforce and brakes - even at 50% - then his seat time won't be very long, because the physical demands are very, very high due to the massive G-Forces involved.
The first time I really nailed the brakes from high speed (once I had had some heat in the carbon rotors) the safety harness chased most of the air out of my lungs due to the compressive forces under late braking. At 2.0G your head weights twice as much as normal, so does your entire body, and so does your helmet which ends up banging against the cockpit cowling... I probably only "used" about 60% to 70% of the F1 car's capabilities and I was running on wets on a dry track to make the slides (if any) a bit more forgiving.
It was huge fun and exhilarating, but
yes the average Joe can drive an F1 car. The next questions are: For how long and how well?
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