Hamilton ruled Top Gears star in reasonably-priced car until F1 rival arrived

2022-08-14

We have more newsletters

Never mind the Monaco Grand Prix – this was the race all Formula 1 drivers were desperate to win.

While it may not have the riches, fame and glory of winning the Driver's Championship, Top Gear's Star In a Reasonably Priced Car challenge was the one which gave the winner the best bragging rights.

All the big names in the F1 world have taken part – including Lewis Hamilton, Nigel Mansell, Sebastian Vettel and Damon Hill.

READ MORE: Top Gear reveals nation's favourite cop cars – from the Sweeney to Inspector Morse

But as the challenge drew to a close, there was a shock result when a young upstart not only knocked the reigning champion off the top spot – he smashed the fastest ever time.

Drunk bloke buried alive in coffin only realised when he tried to get up to pee

The BBC One show ran the weekly feature where famous faces got behind the wheel of a bog-standard car and did laps of the Top Gear circuit.

There was also a spin-off which put F1 drivers in the same ordinary car, a Suzuki Liana, to see how fast they could drive it around the track.

The iconic car from the 2002 series of the show gave all the professional drivers a level playing field when taking it for a spin around the Top Gear test track.

For years, Lewis Hamilton topped the leaderboard having completed the lap in a speedy 1 minute 42.9 seconds.

But then, in 2015, he was dethroned by his young rival Daniel Ricciardo, who blitzed the circuit in 1 minute 42.2 seconds.

Ricciardo, who was 25 at the time, whizzed round the lap a whopping seven-tenths of a second faster than Hamilton’s previous benchmark, which had stood for two years.

Below is the Top Gear F1 drivers' league table, with the weather conditions which affected their performances:

1:42.2 – Daniel Ricciardo
1:42.9 – Lewis Hamilton
1:43.1 – Mark Webber
1:44.0 – Sebastian Vettel
1:44.3 – Rubens Barrichello
1:44.4 – The Stig (II)
1:44.6 – Nigel Mansell
1:44.7 – Lewis Hamilton (Damp, oily)
1:44.7 – Jenson Button (HOT)
1:46.0 – The Stig (I) Black-Stig
1:46.1 – Kimi Räikkönen (Very wet)
1:46.3 – Damon Hill
1:47.1 – Mark Webber (Very wet)

In the normal celebrity version of Star in a Reasonably Priced Car, the vehicles they drove over the years included the Suzuki Liana, as well as a Chevrolet Lacetti, Kia Cee'd and Vauxhall Astra.

Among the fastest famous drivers in these challenges were sailor Dame Ellen MacArthur, pop mogul Simon Cowell, singer Jay Kay, comedian Jimmy Carr and Friends star Matt LeBlanc, who later went on to host a version of the show.

READ NEXT:

Top Gear stars revealed 'lucky to be alive' after being caught in deadly storm whilst filming
Jeremy Clarkson's wild life – from bust-up with Piers Morgan to affair which broke his heart
James May's favourite hobbies are 'excessive drinking' and talking to animals
Lewis Hamilton was offered part in Top Gun: Maverick by friend Tom Cruise
Christian Horner finally expresses sympathy for Lewis Hamilton fans after Abu Dhabi drama

F1
Lewis Hamilton

Source: Read Full Article