Imagine if F1 drivers drove the same car, on the same track, in roughly the same conditions.
It's often trotted out as the solution to find just who is the best driver out there, but for a while, there was one event where it could happen: The Top Gear test track at Dunsfold.
The Star in a Reasonably Priced Car was a mainstay segment of the show, with the likes of Usain Bolt, Tom Cruise and Margot Robbie all popping in for a chat to plug some new film or book, and then take a reasonably priced car out for a lap of the track.
Whilst the celebrities drove Suzuki Lianas, Chevrolet Lacettis, Kia Cee (apostrophe)ds and finally a Vauxhall Astra, the F1 drivers were all confined to the Suzuki Liana in interests of fairness.
Of the nine F1 drivers (more on that later), who actually completed the course, it was Ricciardo who would remain fastest clocking in a 1:42.2, some 0.7s clear of Lewis Hamilton in the final appearance on the show of an F1 driver in the Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May era that ended in 2015.
Ricciardo was nearly two seconds faster than 2014 Red Bull team-mate and four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel in the battered old Liana.
In what was perhaps the most iconic moment of the Clarkson, Hammond, May era, in 2009, Michael Schumacher was revealed to be The Stig, moments after the Ferrari FXX went to the top of the power lap board.
Some say this was a rouse and that the only person Ferrari would permit to drive the FXX was Schumacher himself.
All we know is Schumacher 'got lost' and never posted a lap in the Liana - mainly because Fiat would not allow him to drive a Suzuki.
Below is the table of the Top Gear F1 driver lap times.
Top Gear F1 driver lap times
Position | Driver | Time |
---|---|---|
1st | Daniel Ricciardo | 1:42.2 |
2nd | Lewis Hamilton (second attempt) | 1:42.9 |
3rd | Mark Webber (second attempt) | 1:43.1 |
4th | Sebastian Vettel | 1:44.0 |
5th | Rubens Barrichello | 1:44.3 |
6th | Ben Collins (First White Stig) | 1:44.4 |
7th | Nigel Mansell | 1:44.6 |
8th | Lewis Hamilton (first attempt, wet and oily) | 1:44.7 |
9th | Jenson Button | 1:44.7 |
10th | Jenson Button (second attempt, wet) | 1:44.9 |
11th | Perry McCarthy (Black Stig) | 1:46.0 |
12th | Kimi Raikkonen (wet) | 1:46.1 |
13th | Damon Hill | 1:46.3 |
14th | Mark Webber (first attempt, wet) | 1:47.1 |
DNF | Michael Schumacher | DNF |
Also interesting:
Join RacingNews365's Ian Parkes, Sam Coop and Nick Golding, as they look back on last weekend's Singapore Grand Prix. Max Verstappen's punishment for swearing and Daniel Ricciardo's likely last F1 race are major talking points.
Rather watch the podcast? Then click here!
We're giving away no less than 10 scale models and 10 caps among our YouTube subscribers! Enter now for a chance to win one of these prizes by subscribing to our YouTube channel and commenting under the video using the button below.
Subscribe, comment & winMost read
In this article
Join the conversation!