NASCAR vs. Formula 1 has been a long-standing debate for decades now, but amidst the heated fan rivalry, there was indeed a moment when these distinct racing worlds collided, thanks to three-time cup champion Tony Stewart and seven-time F1 world champion Lewis Hamilton.
The then-sponsor of Stewart-Haas Racing, Mobil 1, played a crucial role in orchestrating this insane star-studded crossover. Hamilton found himself behind the wheel of the #14 Chevy Impala. Meanwhile, Stewart squeezed himself into the cockpit of Hamilton’s championship-winning 2008 challenger, the McLaren MP23.
The duo went on to enjoy an enthralling exhibition run in front of thousands of fans around the 3.4-mile Formula 1 circuit in Watkins Glen, New York. However, the swap wasn’t necessarily as straightforward as it sounds. Here’s why.
Lewis Hamilton & Tony Stewart Left Speechless by the Brutal Racing Machines
Following the run, Hamilton admitted he was extremely nervous about driving the stock car after having spent the majority of his career in open-wheel racing, but things got easier from there. “I was a little bit nervous. I was really, really surprised – I didn’t know how stiff it was going to be, but it handles really well,” the now-Ferrari driver said.
Unfortunately, Stewart had to battle more than just the Formula 1 challenger that day. The American faced several tense moments on the damp circuit, and to make matters worse, he struggled to fit into the narrow cockpit, which made the experience quite uncomfortable for him.
Following the lap around Watkins Glen, Stewart jokingly admitted that he would have to go to the gym to drive an F1 car again. “The first thing I’d have to do is lose about 25 pounds right off the bat. I would actually have to go and work out in a gym again,” he said.
“I couldn’t even get it up high enough in the revs to get it to actually pull away in first gear. I kept having to reset it,” Stewart said, according to ESPN. “I kept trying to tell myself, just get on the gas a little bit. As a competitor, you want to go out and find the limit. At the same time, you realize that if you make a mistake, the penalty for that mistake is going to be pretty harsh, so you may back it off a little bit just to enjoy the experience.”
Apart from the Stewart-Hamilton union, the only other time a Formula 1 driver and a NASCAR driver swapped cars was in 2003 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course. Four-time NASCAR Cup champion Jeff Gordon swapped his Chevy with Colombian racing driver Juan Pablo Montoya, who was then racing for Williams BMW.