With the W08’s 1,000PS and incredible levels of torque powering a car that weights around 750kg approximately, 0-100km/h takes an eye-popping 2.6 seconds. The top speed at a circuit like Monza would be something like 360km/h, or 224mph. In such a brute like this, downforce is a key.
“It’s seriously impressive the amount of force you have on acceleration, and downforce is very powerful with all the aggressive wings. You massively feel that around a circuit like this. You can really feel the grip and stability of the car.”
Esteban is quick to point out the efficiency of these modern F1 cars, especially when comparing it to the older generation V8s that he has plenty of racing experience with.
“It has been incredible to witness the change, from V8 naturally-aspirated engines to hybrid V6-turbos. You could see the change in technology, and how complex that change has been to make the cars more efficient. We had to do full races with 100kg of fuel. Before we were racing with 120/130kgs, so it’s a big reduction, and a big achievement to still be able to race flat out and build a legend while still being more efficient. Before the current era we used to have 15 electronic boxes in the car. Now we have about 30. So there is a lot of engineering, a lot of hours, to make this car as efficient, drivable and successful as possible”.