Sergio Perez and Fernando Alonso had the chance to try out some very different machinery ahead of this weekend's Australian Grand Prix with a run in a V8 Supercar. Perez got behind the wheel of a Red Bull Ampol-liveried Commodore at Albert Park on Thursday, with the Mexican being given a guided tour of the machine by 19-year old Australian racing driver Broc Feeney. Having completed a short track run, a beaming Perez explained where he felt the big differences between his Red Bull RB18 and the considerably heavier Commodore were most noticeable. "The braking was the biggest challenge," Perez told the official Supercar website. "The braking efficiency, coordinating the corners is quite different. But it's really good fun; the amount of kerb you're able to take, you're limited with that in F1. I was able to use the whole track."
Alonso also gets his shot in a V8 Supercar
If Perez cast his eyes along the pit lane, he'd have spotted a familiar face climbing behind the wheel of Tickford Racing's V8 Castrol Mustang. Alonso added another new racing car to his impressive CV in the process, with the experience set up by mutual sponsors between Alpine and Tickford Racing, BP Ultimate and Castrol. "It's between a GT3 and a NASCAR," Alonso explained, also speaking to the official Supercar website. "It's heavier and softer on the corners, but then you feel the power, the V8... the noise is amazing. "It's good fun [to drive], because the cars are very similar to each other on the grid." Intriguingly, given Alonso's penchant for racing in different categories, he didn't rule out the possibility of one day taking part in a Supercar race. "Who knows? There are a couple of amazing races here, Bathurst being the most popular one," he said. "It's not in the short-term plan, but you never say never."
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V8 power, mate! @thomasrandle49 ’s behind the scenes tour had a pretty cool guest in @alo_oficial !! #RepcoSC #F1 #AusGP pic.twitter.com/AqIUpDolda — Supercars (@supercars) April 7, 2022
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