Karun Chandhok left ‘shaking’ after driving McLaren F1 car that never raced at Goodwood

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Karun Chandhok was left ’shaking’ at the Goodwood Festival of Speed after getting behind the wheel of a McLaren Formula 1 car that never raced. 

With no F1 action this weekend, the iconic Goodwood Festival of Speed took centre stage with fans and legends gathering in Chichester to celebrate some of motorsport’s greatest inventions.

So far, the likes of Liam Lawson, Kimi Antonelli, Pierre Gasly and Yuki Tsunoda have all appeared at the festival, with many big names to come over the weekend, including reigning F1 world champion Lando Norris.

On Friday, former F1 driver Chandhok had the chance to drive a McLaren up the hill, a historic car that never competed in a Grand Prix.

Which F1 car would you love to take for a spin at Goodwood’s Festival of Speed?

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Speaking after his drive up the hill, Chandhok admitted that he was left ‘shaking’ and described the experience as ’special’.

The car Chandhok was driving was based on the McLaren MP4/8 that legends like Ayrton Senna, Michael Andretti and Mika Hakkinen all drove back in 1993.

Chandhok went on to reveal that the car was a test car, which had a Lamborghini engine, and it never raced in F1.

He explained on the Goodwood Festival of Speed livestream: “It is so special; you and I have spoken a lot of times up here at the top of the hill, I don’t think I’ve ever come up with my hands shaking.

“I am actually shaking; it’s so amazing. This was the car that is based on the MP4/8 that Ayrton Senna and Michael Andretti and then Mika Hakkinen drove in 1993.

“But McLaren went through a period of a lot of engine changes, and between changing four engines in four seasons, they also built a car with a fifth, and this is it; this is a car that last tested back in 1993.”

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READ MORE: Liam Lawson has ‘scary’ experience at Goodwood Festival of Speed before driving iconic Red Bull

Chandhok continued: “Ayrton drove it in Estoril, Mika drove it in Silverstone, and it’s here. The amazing team at McLaren spent 18 months finding a Lamborghini engine, restoring this car and bringing it here to show off at Goodwood.

“Honestly, that was unbelievable, the sound of it, it’s just amazing coming up the hill; the only thing that had me this shocked was when I drove the 2004 BMW Williams car, that was a full 20,000 rpm car.

“This is so fast and loud, a car that Ayrton Senna drove, this is a car that never ever raced, pretty amazing.”

Aside from Chandhok driving the McLaren, Adrian Newey has been behind the wheel of the RB17 hypercar, which he designed during his time at Red Bull.

It has been noted that the RB17 hypercar is capable of performing like an F1 car and sells for more than $6.7 million.

Speaking about the RB17 hypercar, Red Bull team boss Laurent Mekies described the Goodwood Festival of Speed as the ‘perfect’ place for the car’s much-anticipated debut.

As reported by ESPN, Mekies said: “Goodwood is the perfect place to celebrate what Red Bull Engineering is all about. Seeing RB17 come to life and run in front of the fans is a very special moment.

“It represents years of dedication, creativity, and engineering excellence from an extraordinary team. We’re incredibly proud of what they have achieved and look forward to sharing that experience with everyone at Goodwood.”