If you’ve ever met a Formula 1 skeptic, chances are you’ve heard them say something to the effect of, ‘I could do that.’
Throughout my years dragging friends to reluctantly watch F1 races at our local sports bar, someone inevitably always chimes in, ‘I don’t get what’s so special about driving a car in a circle.’
If only I could take them for a flying lap of the Miami International Autodrome – which is exactly what I did, in a 2024 Ford Mustang Dark Horse, ahead of the Miami Grand Prix.
For an eye-watering $15,000, cashed-up motorsport fans (and a few lucky journalists) can get as close as humanly possible to understanding what makes drivers like Max Verstappen and Lando Norris so special.
Of course, one of the biggest differences between Formula 1 and almost every other sport is that the experience in the cockpit of an F1 car is entirely unrelatable to people like you or I.
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Mail Sport experienced a hot lap at the Miami International Autodrome over the weekend
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Getting strapped in before reaching speeds of up to 146 miles per hour
Chances are you’ve kicked a soccer ball around at the park, played beach volleyball in the summer, or spent time on the football field in a little league.
But very few of us have had to navigate an ultra-complex steering wheel or battle up to 5G of force while behind the wheel of a car.
When I hopped into the passenger seat for my Pirelli Hot Lap, piloted by Ford factory driver Chris Mies, I felt prepared.
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The experience was as close as it gets to sitting in the cockpit of a Formula 1 car
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We sped down the straights between turn 8 and 11, before breaking into a sharp left-hander
Just last year, I sped around the iconic Indianapolis Motor Speedway in a two-seater IndyCar, reaching speeds up to 180 miles per hour.
Mies assured me that the 500-horsepower, five-liter V8 would be a tad slower, and I felt at ease – if only for a moment.
The 19-turn track at Hard Rock Stadium, which hosted its first F1 race in 2022 thanks to a reported $60 million cash injection from billionaire Dolphins owner, Stephen Ross, has a top speed of 214 miles per hour.
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Drivers, like Lando Norris who secured his maiden win, experience up to 5G of force
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Reigning world champion, Max Verstappen, had a run in with a pole at turn 15 during the race
As we rounded turn four, passing the entrance to the NFL stadium, it quickly became apparent that this track was not for the faint of heart.
We hit traffic on turn seven – in the form of an Aston Martin DBX707, and Mies gave me a taste of what Norris likely felt on Sunday as he overtook the field to take the lead of the race (later scoring his maiden victory).
We sped down the straights between turn eight and 11, hitting 146 miles per hour before Mies slammed on the breaks into a sharp left-hander.
The highlight of the circuit, however, was the rise up to the chicane at turn 15, where I went flying as Mies expertly navigated the corners.
It was also the exact spot where Verstappen memorably took out a pole during Sunday’s race.
‘I didn’t like it so I decided to take it out and test the durability of the front wing,’ the Red Bull ace joked to Mail Sport. ‘That’s a crash test done,’ he added.
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‘I’m gonna cry,’ Kendall Jenner shrieked after her hot lap with Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton
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Ed Sheeran also paid a visit to the Miami Grand Prix, where he did a lap of the track
I wasn’t the only person who experienced a flying lap around the Miami International Autodrome over the weekend.
Mercedes’ George Russell drove British hitmaker Ed Sheeran around the track. ‘That was really f***ed up,’ the ‘Castle on the Hill’ singer joked to Russell after getting out of the car.
Meanwhile, Kendall Jenner begged Lewis Hamilton to slow down when she jumped in the passenger seat of a $136,000 Mercedes-Benz AMG GT.
‘Oh my god. Holy s***t’, I’m gonna cry,’ she shrieked.
‘I literally hate you,’ the reality star told the seven-time world champion.
Whether you loved the experience or hated it (looking at you, Kendall), there’s no denying the Pirelli Hot Lap really is as close as it gets to an F1 cockpit.
