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F1 From a Driver’s Eye Perspective

James Wolfcale

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Lucas Di Grassi takes us on a driver's-eye ride in an F1 car

If you're like us and you enjoy getting up way too early on Sunday mornings to watch F1 races, then you'll be familiar with the airbox mounted on-board cameras used during TV broadcasts. While they provide a great view of the action, they don't always provide the most visceral viewing experience.

Luckily, former Virgin Racing driver and current official Pirelli F tire tester Luca di Grassi saw this as a problem too. His solution was to mount a camera inside his helmet visor to give those of us who lack the talent or opportunity to drive an F1 car a glimpse at what it's like to pilot Pirelli's Toyota test car around Spain's Circuit de Catalunya.

What really comes through in this video is the sheer violence that comes with driving a modern F1 car. Each gear shift is accompanied by a severe head jolt and you can see di Grassi straining his neck against the g load of each direction change. It's no wonder F1 drivers have neck strength that could rival an NFL linebacker's.

As much fun as it is to watch, don't expect to see helmet mounted cameras in F1 anytime soon. In order to get this unique point of view, di Grassi had to drive with only one eye open because the camera was obscuring the other. As you may have already rightly assumed, depth perception and a full field of vision are important things to have when you're an F1 driver.