HINCHCLIFFE: Haas let me drive their F1 car – and it truly left me speechless
IndyCar winner and F1 TV analyst James Hinchcliffe finally got to try an F1 car – and says it gave him a whole new appreciation for the mental capacity required to be a top level Grand Prix driver.


For several years now I have been (sort of) jokingly pitching a feature to my bosses at F1 TV. The thought was that although I was an experienced racer in many categories, having never raced in F1, there were some things that were harder for me to analyze.
“As an analyst this presents a problem,” I would say to them. “A quick fix to that would be to find a way for me to get a few laps in a car to understand the systems, procedures and capabilities.”
While my bosses liked the idea from the get go, the harder part was going to be finding a team willing to give me that chance. Laps in F1 cars are a scarce commodity.
Next Up
Related Articles
5 key things we heard from Cadillac after Team Principal change
UnlockedInside the F1 driver’s bubble: The race engineer
How Williams' 2026 season has played out so far
How Audi's 2026 season has played out so far
How Aston Martin’s 2026 season has played out so far
Unlocked10 quiz questions on F1 at the Sepang International Circuit
