Guy Drove a Real F1 Car at Magny-Cours — Full Experience, Cost, Driving Impressions

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TL;DR:

Yes, it’s every bit as awesome as you imagine—and totally worth it.

Cost:

Let’s get this part out of the way: it’s not cheap.

Formula Renault: 2x 15-minute sessions

- F1 Car: 1 out lap + 3 flying laps

- Price: ~€2800 total

- Insurance: €8000 excess if you crash the F1 car

- Optional insurance available for €350 to reduce excess to €4000

- I skipped it. My strategy was simple: don’t crash.

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The Track – Magny-Cours:

One of the main reasons I picked this experience was the track. Not many F1 driving experiences let you drive on a real Grand Prix circuit—but Magny-Cours absolutely is one.

- Long straights where you can go flat out

- Proper heavy braking zones

- Wide range of corners

- Cones marked braking, turn-in, apex, and exit points

- No restrictions on pace—coaching was designed to help you go faster, not just stay safe

After this, Magny-Cours is now one of my favorite tracks.

The Cars:

Formula Renault

These are not slow.
Acceleration was wild, but the car was approachable enough to build confidence. Still had more than enough power to bite—multiple people spun during the morning.

By the end of my sessions, I felt like I was really starting to explore the car’s limits.

F1 Car – Benetton B198

1998 Benetton B198 chassis

Original V10 replaced with a 3.5L Cosworth HB V8 (same spec Schumacher used to win the 1994 title)

Still over 600hp

No joke.

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