F1 Racing - UK (2019-12)

54 F1 RACING DECEMBER 2019

“Firstgear, wide open and crank it...”

Sounds easy, right? Haas drivers

KevinMagnussenandRomain

Grosjeanlearn, among other things,

howto perform the perfect donut in

a 1,500kg stock car, from NASCAR

champion and Haas stable-mate

Tony‘Smoke’Stewa rt

eatly parked onthe start/

finish stripe of the Circuit

of The Americas is the

iconic shape of a Mustang.

Under the hood is a

5.8-litre V8: pure American

muscle capable ofproducing 725 thunderous

horsepower. When it fires up...

Mechanics from Stewart-Haas Racing, breath

condensing in the morning chill, huddle around

the steel-framed beast. It is unseasonably cold

here in Texas, but finally the numb-fingered

posse persuade the Ford to rumble into life.

Hot, blue smoke billows outof the pipes

positioned just ahead of the right-rear fender.

The guttural roar tempts both Romain

Grosjean and Kevin Magnussen out of the

relative warmth of the Haas F1 garage to inspect

their sisterteam’s racing machine. On hand to

give them aguided tour is NASCAR team owner

and three-time Cup series champion Tony

Stewart, akaSmoke. Both F1 drivers are grinning

from ear to ear at the prospect of wrestling the

powerful but heavy Mustang around the fast

sweeps of Austin’s quick circuit, a day before

practice begins for the United States Grand Prix.

Since the ambienttemperature stubbornly

refusesto budge from 6 ̊C, Grosjean is hidden

under a hood and multiple layers. “I remember in

2012 itwas freezing here,” says the Frenchman.

“I wanted to rent a Harley Davidson to come to

the track as I thought that would be much cooler

than a rental car. Then I saw the weather was

lower than 10 ̊C and thought better of it...”

Beside him, perched on the pitwall, isthe Cup

car’s steering wheel. It’s lean but wide – and

delightfully sparse, unlike the multiple dials and

rotary switches on an F1 car’s futuristic-looking

equivalent. Grosjean is surprised atthe simple

thing he picks up, with just one buttonfor the

pit-to-car radio. “That’s your scream-at-everyone

button,” laughs Stewart.

Since this is a Mustang specially modified to

enablepassenger rides, both F1 starsget a seat

fitting alongside the driver. Grosjean climbs in

through the window,Dukes of Hazzardstyle,

and notices two grab-handles on either side of

the seat. Romain takes hold of them and giddily

says to the Stewart-Haas mechanic: “It’s like

Space Mountain! Whooo-hoooo!”

Magnussen isequally excitedbut m ore

GOING

FOR A

SMOKE

WORDSJAMESROBERTS

PICTURESANDY HONE

N

54 F1 RACING DECEMBER 2019

“First gear, wide open and crank it...”

Sounds easy, right? Haas drivers

KevinMagnussenand Romain

Grosjeanlearn, among other things,

how to perform the perfect donut in

a 1,500kg stock car, from NASCAR

champion and Haas stable-mate

Tony‘Smoke’ Stewa rt

eatly parked onthe start/

finish stripe of the Circuit

of The Americas is the

iconic shape of a Mustang.

Under the hood is a

5.8-litre V8: pure American

muscle capable ofproducing 725 thunderous

horsepower. When it fires up...

Mechanics from Stewart-Haas Racing, breath

condensing in the morning chill, huddle around

the steel-framed beast. It is unseasonably cold

here in Texas, but finally the numb-fingered

posse persuade the Ford to rumble into life.

Hot, blue smoke billows outof the pipes

positioned just ahead of the right-rear fender.

The guttural roar tempts both Romain

Grosjean and Kevin Magnussen out of the

relative warmth of the Haas F1 garage to inspect

their sisterteam’s racing machine. On hand to

give them aguided tour is NASCAR team owner

and three-time Cup series champion Tony

Stewart, akaSmoke. Both F1 drivers are grinning

from ear to ear at the prospect of wrestling the

powerful but heavy Mustang around the fast

sweeps of Austin’s quick circuit, a day before

practice begins for the United States Grand Prix.

Since the ambienttemperature stubbornly

refusesto budge from 6 ̊C, Grosjean is hidden

under a hood and multiple layers. “I remember in

2012 itwas freezing here,” says the Frenchman.

“I wanted to rent a Harley Davidson to come to

the track as I thought that would be much cooler

than a rental car. Then I saw the weather was

lower than 10 ̊C and thought better of it...”

Beside him, perched on the pitwall, isthe Cup

car’s steering wheel. It’s lean but wide – and

delightfully sparse, unlike the multiple dials and

rotary switches on an F1 car’s futuristic-looking

equivalent. Grosjean is surprised atthe simple

thing he picks up, with just one buttonfor the

pit-to-car radio. “That’s your scream-at-everyone

button,” laughs Stewart.

Since this is a Mustang specially modified to

enablepassenger rides, both F1 starsget a seat

fitting alongside the driver. Grosjean climbs in

through the window,Dukes of Hazzardstyle,

and notices two grab-handles on either side of

the seat. Romain takes hold of them and giddily

says to the Stewart-Haas mechanic: “It’s like

Space Mountain! Whooo-hoooo!”

Magnussen isequally excitedbut m ore

GOING

FOR A

SMOKE

WORDSJAMESROBERTS

PICTURESANDY HONE

N