Cars
From F1 to F80
It was supposed to be a day away from the heat of competition. No telemetry, no silverware, definitely no lap times – just two F1 teammates having a blast on track. But when Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton arrived at Fiorano, their competitive spirit soon bubbled to the surface. Not least because they were testing the new F80 – the all-wheel drive, hybrid supercar inspired by Ferrari’s Le Mans-winning 499P.
Leclerc is first behind the wheel, pulling into the pits to greet his English teammate. ‘Come to be my co-pilot,’ grins Charles in trademark coquettish style. ‘I haven’t pushed yet. I was waiting for you.’ Lewis buckles up in the 1+ cab configuration, intrigued if clearly a little apprehensive.
Click to watch Charles and Lewis experience the 1200 cv F80 at Fiorano
As Leclerc accelerates hard down the straight, both are clearly caught off-guard by the sheer performance the F80 has to offer. In fact, with 900 cv from the twin-turbo V6 and 300 cv from the electric motors driving the F80’s front axle, the F80 sprints from 0-200km/h in just 5.75 seconds.
‘This is the fastest road car I’ve ever been in,’ exclaims Lewis. ‘It’s so fast!’ laughs Charles in agreement.
In no time Leclerc is pushing hard as he gains confidence in the active suspension and aerodynamics. ‘[The F80] is a pretty big car but it feels so light, the steering is amazing – so direct – and the balance is so nice – you’ll see when you drive it,’ comments the Monegasque.
The F1 drivers familiarise themselves with the F80 between stints on track
When Lewis gets behind the wheel, the seven-time world champion immediately attacks Fiorano’s curves like there’s seconds to spare in Q3. ‘This is super-impressive,’ he beams, catching a slide through the high-speed turn 11. ‘Whoah!’
The sound and feel of the dual-clutch downshifts come in for special praise, so too CCM-R brakes that have Leclerc hanging in his belts, and the music of the 120-degree turbo-hybrid V6. Hamilton’s initial verdict that it ‘sounds pretty good’ is quickly upgraded to ‘sounds frickin’ amazing actually’ after a few runs to the sky-high 9000rpm redline.
Leclerc tightens his harnesses, braces himself against the dash and – at times – even closes his eyes like he’s on a fairground ride, not a racetrack. ‘I need to have a rest,’ he grimaces when Lewis finally cools the pace. ‘I was trying to be nice to you – I was not pushing too much!’
Charles prepares to get even after an aggressive passenger lap with Lewis
Leclerc soon gets even with a few more flamboyant laps of his own, and when the pair finally box, the sound of laughter fills the pits as the engineering team closes in for feedback. ‘The balance is spot on… very impressive,’ comments Charles. ‘The snaps are so easy to control. This is a very special car.’
Lewis is equally taken. ‘I’ve never driven anything like this, it’s insane – the centre of gravity is nice and low, and you can really feel those front motors working,’ he enthuses.
For the two F1 drivers, it’s been a day to let off steam away from the stopwatch. For the engineers and test drivers of the F80, it’s the best possible validation from two of the world’s most demanding drivers.