F1 Grand Prix Driving Experiences

Formula 1 Experience Courses for Motor Racing Enthusiasts

Aug 13, 2009

Racing fans may never drive in a Formula 1 race, but several companies offer the chance to get behind the wheel of a genuine F1 car.

The Formula 1 experience industry is a relatively new one, but already there exists a considerable choice of courses. All of them offer the average person the opportunity to sample what it feels like to be in a Formula 1 race. A Formula 1 experience is, predictably, not cheap. Prices start from around £700 and can rise as high as £6000.

AGS Formula 1 Experience

The French Formula 1 team AGS competed in the World Championship for several years. The company pioneered the Formula 1 experience idea during the 1990s and have provided thousands of people the chance to drive F1 cars.

The AGS fleet consists of 15 Formula 1 cars, including two-seater examples which can be used for passenger rides. Recent F1 machines from Prost and Jordan are available to drive, along with older manual gearshift models from the 1980s. In addition AGS also own an example of the famous Peugeot 905 Le Mans car.

The AGS Formula 1 experience includes training sessions in less powerful Formula Opel Lotus single-seaters, before clients are allowed in the proper Grand Prix machines. The courses take place at the Paul Ricard circuit or the Circuit du Var, both in southern France. Paul Ricard hosted the French Grand Prix for many years. Racing fans now have the opportunity to drive a French Formula 1 car on a French Formula 1 circuit. Gift vouchers and customised courses are also available.

The Racing School F1 experience is based at the short and twisty Three Sisters circuit in Wigan, England. It provides customers with a relatively cheap way of sampling F1 as prices start at £699. Clients can expect 10 laps in a saloon car, 17 laps in a single-seater, 10 laps in a Formula 3 car and 10 laps in a Formula 1 machine. The company operates Formula 1 cars designed by Forti Corse and Arrows.

Wildside Formula 1 Experience

The Wildside Group offer a vast array of Formula 1 experience course, at four different circuits. They can offer enthusiasts the chance to drive an F1 car on a current Grand Prix circuits. The Circuit de Catalunya, near Barcelona, has hosted the Spanish Formula 1 race every year since 1991.

Wildside also use the French Formula 1 circuit at Magny-Cours, although the track recently lost its place in the F1 World Championship. The other two circuits are the Circuit du Var in the south of France and Las Vegas Motor Speedway in America.

A typical Formula 1 experience at the Circuit de Catalunya includes five star accommodation, evening meals, refreshments and transfers to the circuit. Customers can choose from V8 or V10 powered cars, with the latter being more expensive to drive. The course price includes four laps in the Formula 1 car around the famous circuit, although additional track time can be purchased at a cost of £398 per lap.

Although an F1 experience can never replicate the sensation of being in a Formula 1 race it is certainly the next best thing. The F1 experience industry is a rapidly expanding one, with more circuits and cars being made available to the general public. It offers enthusiasts a once in a lifetime opportunity to sample modern Grand Prix machinery and imagine they are competing in a real Formula 1 race.

The copyright of the article F1 Grand Prix Driving Experiences in Formula 1 is owned by Kevin Guthrie. Permission to republish F1 Grand Prix Driving Experiences in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.