According to the website: 650hp @ 10,800rpm 0 to 100 km/h in 2.6 seconds 100 to 200 km/h 2.2 seconds Top speed around 330 km/h Not bad! What was it like driving it? Did you cruise around slowly, or really push it?
Good question. Actually discussed originally in the first FChat forum, but hey, I'm happy to talk about this one anytime <he says while softly shaking the Martini in his hand>. First of all Le Luc test track is a nice and short (just over 1 km) road course. Nothing to tricky, but nice variety of corners. You spend the morning getting used to it and some power driving the F3. They post pylons where you're supposed to hit the brakes so you don't miss your braking point. Then lunch break and a second theory lesson which is basically designed to put the fear of God in you. They refer to the F1 driving as "taking a T-Rex for a walk". Gulp. At this point I'm scared, but hey, I'm here, so better try it out. They also impose a rule: One spin and game over. Though. You were allowed to spin the F3 once or twice, but they take no longer chances with the F1 after once a student touched the armco and the carbon fibre front wing cost them more than the entire class... What is cool btw is the fact, that they got several cars, so you're safe from that perspective: If one breaks down, there are backups. Also it keeps a flow going with driver preparation etc. And of course South of France is weather proof. Even if it rains, it soon dries up again. So nuff talk, time to get belted in. The looks from the seat are about the same as in my Skip Barber or the F3. H pattern stick, rev meter, that's about it. First of all you have to get out of pitlane without stalling. To prevent stalling and spinning we actually leave out 1st gear and start in 2nd. They start the engine and the chief technician directs you in how much right foot you have to give. I follow his orders to the point, let go of the clutch slowly and roll off. No stall. Phew. Of course noboby else is on the track, so no worries entering. What I notice immediately is the build quality (and this is an AGS!) of a F1: Miles apart from a Skip Barber or the F3 or my Ferrari. All the controls are superbly precise. Steering is incredibly direct and precise and not even very hard. Brakes are powerful, so is the gas, no wonder. While I was sometimes struggling finding the right gear in the F3, no guessing in the AGS, everything is where it is supposed to be. The car is a joy to drive. So did I push it? Well yes, as far as I dared. We (deliberately) had no time measuring device nor a speedo so I can't give you any numbers. I would have to admit others pushed it harder than I did. 10 laps is definitely not enough to get even close to any sort of limit (unless you don't care). I had too much respect to go really hard. I'd say I drove probably six to seven tenth of my own capabilities (which is to say the car's limits are definitely farther than mine). In the debriefing they acknowledged that others were faster, but at least they applauded me on the best downshift technique of all drivers. No wonder, I learned that years ago at Skip Barber. The fastest driver was a guy whose wife paid for his experience. He did more than twice of our laps and you could tell how he got into the swing of things. Practice is everything.
Interesting. From what you've said and considering they don't record your lap times and other telemetry, it's clear that the whole thing isn't performance-oriented, but rather to have a "taste" or "experience". Great for most people, but I think that would drive me crazy! H-pattern gearbox - must be from the very early 90's. I have a video of Martin Brundle comparing the Benetton B191 (which he raced in alongside Michael Schumacher) with the Ferrari F1-2000. He drives both around Donnigton, explaining the differences, and you get to see lots of various onboard shots from both. Really demonstrated how much harder it was to drive the older F1 cars, and just how far they've progressed. To quote Martin, while in the Benetton B191: "It's like stepping into an old shoe for me. I raced this car in '92. I tested it alot. I always remember it like looking out of a bathtub, and that certainly hasn't changed!" "You have to think about the gear changes before the corners. You always have to think about the time it takes to get down the gears, it's such a big part of going into the corner." In the F1-2000: "I can see so well! It's glued to the race track!" "I feel more at one with this car. I feel like I'm part of the car. So predictable!" His summary of the comparison: "The Benetton was a real challenge to drive, especially with a manual gearbox, and sometimes it felt like a bathtub with a loose wheel. On the other hand the Ferrari was a supreme thoroughbred, and gave me tremendous confidence right from the start. I really wanted to just push the throttle harder. The car absolutely felt like it was an extension of me. I was much more part of it than when I was in the Benetton. The car almost followed my thought process; I more or less didn't have to turn the steering wheel. I really was braking too early; they've moved on so far, even in the few years since I've driven a Formula 1 car. I could just plant the car where I wanted it, and with confidence ride the curbs on the outside. On the back straight, just incredible acceleration. It was almost a shame to change gear the engine sounded so gorgeous, but the shift lights were constantly coming on....you could brake so incredibly late, and just hit the power hard on the way out!"
Don't get me wrong: They did not restrict us on how fast we drove. As long as you didn't spin, you could knock your heart out. Besides: You could do "hidden" performance data: Just leave your camcorder on the tripod and you can at least evaluate your laptimes in the aftermath. Or anybody else's for that matter. I didn't do that on this occasion, but at some other events where taking time was a big nono as well. I would second Brundle's comments on the time it takes to shift. I have seen how long it takes in the AGS and I have driven road cars (Ferrari and BMW) with paddle shift and it happens in a fraction of the time without much effort or driver talent. Which is why I'd like to see that technology banned from F1. Makes it too easy from that perspective.
Someone posted on Fchat recently a video of this really crazy hill climb. Some of the vehicles they used were an F3000 car, and a Formula 1 car exactly like the one you posted photos of. The onboard camera shot was terrifying - this was like rally driving with an F1 car! No tyre barriers or runoff... just cliffs, rocks and city streets!
