Is Jeremy Clarkson's F1/Road Car Theory Entirely Correct? #blogpost

31 Jul 2018

Remember years ago when the Top Gear hosts were talking about the Ferrari 458 for the first time? More specifically, when Jeremy said that it would be fantastic to drive?

He made this claim because at the time, Ferrari were performing woefully in Formula One, and has always maintained that whenever F1 teams are doing badly in the sport, their road cars are drop-dead fabulous. Yet when they’re performing fantastically in F1, their road cars are at rock bottom.

This got me and my ever-complicated brain thinking: how far is he actually correct?

And because it’d take around 4 million years to talk about every constructive year in Formula One and their road cars in comparison, I’m just going to stick to the years 2017 and 2018.

And because F1 these days is plagued by sponsors (such as Aston Martin to Red Bull and Alfa Romeo to Sauber), I’m only going to stick to teams which make cars - in other words, Mercedes AMG, Ferrari, Renault and McLaren.

Ferrari

I was actually going to write this article after the Silverstone GP a couple of weeks back But since Lewis Hamilton’s surge back on top of the points, you can’t help but think that both Sebastian Vettel and Ferrari may be struggling - at least for now until the next race at Spa (my favourite track!)

Overall though, Ferrari’s performance has been epic in the last couple of years. They’ve put up a damn good fight against Mercedes and Vettel really has a bit of Nelson Piquet in his veins.

Ferrari therefore are great in F1. And so, weirdly, are their road cars - which is challenging Clarkson’s statement.

The 812 Superfast is a backstabber disguised in a red jacket. The Portofino is everything the California should’ve always been and better, while the 488 Pista has been renowned by journalists as one of the greatest driving cars in existence.

Are Ferrari at the top of their game? It’s debatable, but I’d argue so - I can’t see any of their current lineup getting any better than they already are. And with an F1 constructors championship potentially in sight (if Vettel can find his light), Mr Clarkson is indeed wrong!

Mercedes AMG

Life must be a huge pressure for Toto Wolff and the AMG Petronas team: while Hamilton is practically untouchable on the track, Valtteri Bottas just can’t get defensive enough to fend off the cheeky Ferraris and Red Bulls. Mercedes may be ahead in the constructors, but only just! They’re only 10 points ahead of Ferrari and one race can change all of that quite dramatically.

Nonetheless, the F1 team is pretty much at the top of their game. Without them, I think competition between the other teams would be more intense.

So, what about their road cars then?

Well, I think this where I’m a bit split: because there are many cars in the AMG lineup which are well and truly fabulous like the AMG GTR, S63 2-door and the monstrous E63. There’s even meant to be a new A45 coming soon - which ought to be wicked.

However, some of the more recent arrivals have slightly disappointed me on a personal level; like the new 53 AMG range which combines a 3.0 litre straight six with a mild hybrid setup. Sure, they may be good all-round cars, but I wouldn’t justify one over a less powerful CLS 400. The CLS particularly is a car that deserves a big, powerful V8!

It depends on taste, really. You might like the new 6 cylinder hybrid AMGs, but I certainly don’t. Meaning Clarkson’s theory is debatable on the front of AMG.

Renault

Renault has been making some serious progress recently in F1. One could argue that Nico Hulkenberg is one of the sport’s most underrated drivers in current times - he’s racked up plenty of points and has come achingly close to a series of podium finishes. Carlos Sainz isn’t bad either - meaning Renault is starting to really come alive in the sport.

But not only has their F1 team come along nicely. So have their road cars under the Renault Sport marque.

The newly released Megane RS is an epic hot hatch which (as far as I can see) has had no harsh criticism thrown at it. The Clio RS has been around for a while, yet is still very good.

Then there’s the new Alpine A110: I’m actually cheating here slightly, because it was secretly a dual development between Renault Sport and Caterham back when the latter had their F1 team. But much to the annoyance of the small British brand, Renault went ahead anyway and launched the car under the Alpine brand - and as I’m sure you know - it’s one of the best sports cars you can get.

All of this therefore is contrary to Clarkson’s statement, but there is one team which supports his argument seamlessly. And I bet you can guess what it is……

McLaren

This is where the words of the orangutan really come to shine; I don’t think in modern times, McLaren has ever ended up in a sea of a lack of pace and woeful unreliability. Granted, they’ve made some fairly decent pace this year due to the new power units from Renault, but they’re a long way from the success stories that once described them.

The same cannot be said however, for their road cars.

That’s because in the road car game, McLaren arguably makes some of the most fabulous cars that can ever be attained. Everything from the technically glorious mono-shell structures to the pin-and-precise engineering that goes into making such things.

No other car maker has been at the top of their game quite like McLaren - and it’s especially astonishing to see a relatively new member of the road car club succeed so fast. At least under their new form since the MP4-12C.

And if you thought the Senna was the most exciting car to come from Woking, well the Speedtail (to be revealed in October) is sure to take petrolheads by surprise. I can’t wait!

Nonetheless, let’s appreciate the fact that Clarkson’s argument is actually valid on McLaren’s front. They’re not really moving in F1, yet their road cars are some of the best things ever engineered by the human species.

So, there we are.

So, those are bits of my brain transcripted onto paper (or virtual paper… whatever you call it). And it’s time to finally answer the title of this article: is Clarkson’s theory entirely correct?

I’m going to say yes, but ONLY on the front of McLaren (as already stated). The rest of the teams and brands are pretty well balanced on how good their F1 teams and road cars are.

Man, if only AMG made a full range of intoxicating cars, then I would have a field day challenging Clarkson’s statement.

Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed reading and found the article interesting. If there’s anything you want to add, then get yourself in the comments!

Thank you :)

Comments

I wouldn’t think that besides some tech used in F1 that it would affect the two divisions

Sure, but I thought it was an interesting topic to think about…

Great ideas. But do you not think it all simply because cars are built to such a epic standard today (domestic and sport/super) that there really aren’t any out going “bad” cars today. Yes there is cars that don’t suit peoples taste, the new Ford GT while a epic car on track was noted to be too rough on the road, especially in the UK. I get the EVO magazine every month and almost every new car reviewed is always at least 4/5 stars, especially in the supercar market. Maybe clarksons point had weight at the time but now cars are built so well its difficult to think of any bad current road cars, especially built by these major companies in F1.

Obviously that is all subjective, let me know what you all think

That’s something to think about actually; I only read paper car magazines occasionally, but cars are built to a damn good standard these days. Yet again, I’m trying to think of bad road cars from the manufacturers I stated over the years, and I can only think of a few…

For Renault, there was overlap in 2005 when they won their first constructors championship and the clio V6 was in its final year, so they had a win in F1 and a road car that was praised by pretty much everyone

That’s true, and I remember that Alonso car thundering around the TG test track one time, lol.

That was a pretty good read man!

Thanks, man!

I care to disagree on Ferrari and Mercedes. AMG GT is nothing but an identity crisis. Is it a GT, is it a sports car, what is it? And I think AMG cars (except for the E63S and C63S) have gone downhill. Why don’t we have the CLS63? Why does the S63 and S65 feel so wierd? Why isn’t there an E63S coupe. And don’t start me on G63 and G65. I just think AMG is identity crisis at the moment

And Ferrari. There’s nothing special about it. The 488 doesn’t make me want an 720S any less. Hell it even makes me want a 720S more. The 812 while being cool, still falls behind the Aston Martin Superlaggera IMO. The Pista makes me angry too. It’s a track car, but I doubt we will get a Nürburgring lap time.

As for Renault, while they are coming to be great at F1, their Road sports cars just aren’t that great. They only have two models, the A110, which is amazing, but still debatable about being the best, since Porsche Cayman does exist. Also the RS, at least design wise, is a trick. It looks fabulous on pictures, however in person it looks like it was designed by a girl using glitter. Renault will have to come up with more sporty models before we say for sure.