Video: driving a Lotus F1 car

When the Lotus F1 team called and asked if we’d like to put a normal human in their car, we said yes. Unfortunately we’re fresh out of normal humans, so instead we sent writer Dan Read. With a resumé consisting solely of a brief foray into tuk-tuk racing, he was quite literally the most unqualified person for the job. But that, of course, was the whole idea.

Because even if you’ve never set foot in a single-seater, it’s now possible to drive one of the best ones out there. The very same one in which Kimi Raikkonen won the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in 2012, in fact. You know the one. “Leave me alone, I know what I’m doing. Yes, yes, yes.” That one. One of the last proper, V8-powered F1 cars before everything went electric and whooshy.

Here’s the deal. Call Lotus and ask about the iRace programme. Give them about 6,000 of your shiniest Euros. In return, they’ll give you a rubdown, strap you into Kimi’s E20 and show you an empty circuit. Don’t believe us? Here’s a little video we made to prove it. Watch out for the terrified man about 20 seconds in.

This is just one of the many adventures in this month's Top Gear magazine - go and grab one for the full story, or download our iPad edition for more videos just like this one... 

Video: Smudge Media