Formula One cars may be the pinnacle of motorsport, but thank goodness, their drivers capable of hooning it up like a Camaro kid with an empty parking lot all to himself when given the chance. This week’s F1 Live show ahead of the British Grand Prix was that chance, and it was glorious.
Formula One is finally doing a lot of things right now that its new owners are in and stuffy ex-boss Bernie Ecclestone is out. F1 is posting rad videos online that fans want to watch, and the series has loosened up policies on what teams can post online like they’re some kind of modern-day racing series or something.
F1 even recently signed a partnership to put content on Snapchat, per the BBC. You know, the very same social media service the #teens use that Lewis Hamilton got told not to use in the paddock under the old guard last year.
F1 Live is part of F1's big Finally Doing Stuff Right Tour, with all manner of free events in London’s Trafalgar Square that brought the F1 show to the fans. All 10 teams and 19 of the 20 F1 drivers put on a public show for fans for the first time ever, ripping loud F1 show cars down London streets. British three-time F1 champ Lewis Hamilton was the only driver who skipped it, as he told Autosport that he needed a break.
Earth-shatteringly loud historic F1 cars were also on display, as you can see in the series’ official highlight reel that unfortunately seems to have been set to a piece of music from new chairman and old-timey mustache enthusiast Chase Carey’s own personal iTunes library.
Fortunately, fans posted their own videos to remedy this lack of race car sound situation, like the perfect supercut of donuts and burnouts above. Let’s watch a bunch of them, because we can never watch too many videos of F1 cars doing rad slides, burnouts and donuts for the people.
This is just a magical chorus of elevenses getting laid down by F1 cars and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
The epic sound from Stoffel Vandoorne’s run in the legendary 700-horsepower 1991 McLaren MP4-6 that was driven by Gerhard Berger and Ayrton Senna definitely stole the show, though. It made beautiful Honda V12 sounds echo off every pretty building in the neighborhood.
Daniel Ricciardo was supposed told not to do donuts, but he did them anywa, and thank goodness. Er, excuse me, he did “controlled slides.” Look, Australia gave us the word “hoon.” Never tell an Australian not to hoon.
Dear goodness, these donuts were just magical. May this decision to break of the rules for our entertainment forever reward you with many victory shoeys throughout the rest of the season, Honey Badger.
Ricciardo’s onboard camera will make you dizzier than Sebastian Vettel trying to see through F1's new windshield. If the people want a show, this is how you do it.