Ian Parkes
IT IS hard to describe, it genuinely is, simply because there is precious little to compare it with.
What am I talking about? Hitting almost 200mph whilst sat wedged into the passenger seat of a two-seater Formula One car.
That was the exhilarating privilege afforded to myself and a small band of media at the latest addition to the F1 calendar, Yas Marina circuit in Abu Dhabi.
From listening to the comments of David Coulthard, Martin Brundle and Bruno Senna – our drivers on the day – the word most used was ‘challenging’, a circuit that could result in several incidents.
From my own humble perspective, mercifully I avoided any call for the on-site paramedics as the nephew of three-times world champion Ayrton Senna blasted and hurled me around the 5.491 kilometre track for a couple of laps.
After passing a medical earlier in the day, I’m not sure what any doctor would have made of my heart rate as I stood in one of the air-conditioned pit garages in full race suit waiting for my turn.
With balaclava and helmet on, I was barely able to breathe, added to which, the heat was already building up inside the suit, even after the sun had set as my run was scheduled for 7pm local time.
Then it came to my run.
Two-seaters are not that much longer than a regular F1 car, with the small passenger space located directly behind the driver, with your legs sliding into narrow wells either side of his monocoque.
Once you are securely strapped in, head restraint put in place and helmet buckle firmly tightened – I’m warned because the g-forces would yank it off otherwise – there is a feeling of helplessness, that your life is now completely in somebody else’s hands.
Pulling out of the garage and onto the pit lane, with no limiter in place on this occasion unlike in a race, Senna immediately floored the throttle, seconds later slamming on the brakes before entering another unique aspect of this remarkable circuit.
For the first time in F1 history, the pit-lane exit consists of a short, narrow tunnel that snakes left, then right before climbing up over a blind rise and onto the track.
An incident here could cause problems, and it will be interesting to see what the drivers will make of it, in particular as the rev limiter is sited at the entrance, rather than exit, of the tunnel, allowing them to drive through it at speed.
Now on the circuit, attempting to tilt my head constantly to the left to allow the intake directly behind my helmet to do its job of feeding air to the engine to regulate its temperature, Senna proceeded to throw himself with relish into his task.
What was immediately noticeable was the incredible lighting, as the north grandstand, despite being more than half a kilometre away, was clearly visible in the distance.
Building up speed through the slight curves of turns three and four, Senna again hit the brakes hard on the approach to the turn five chicane directly in front of the north grandstand.
It was all I could do to prevent my helmet from hitting the rear of Senna’s headrest a few inches in front of me as it is the power of an F1 car’s brakes that provide the stark contrast to anything else previously experienced.
Coming out of the turn-seven hairpin, Senna was then up through the gears as we sped like a bullet along the longest straight in F1 at 1.2km, where Lewis Hamilton et al will clock 200mph.
This was where I could feel the g-forces looking to lift the helmet off my head before Senna delivered another sharp jolt on the brakes as he took a sharp, first-gear, left-right kink.
A second lengthy straight followed, where the F1 drivers will likely reach speeds of 190mph, and then it was on towards the twisty final sector around the marina and the most visible aspect of the track.
Afterwards Senna informed me he was at 85 to 90% of how he would ordinarily drive in a race – Brundle was only 65 I learned later.