F1 and NASCAR Race Cars Swapped by Lewis Hamilton And Tony Stewart

McLaren Mercedes driver, Lewis Hamilton, recently swapped his F1 car for a Chevrolet Impala NASCAR race car. We’re not reporting about anything as dramatic as the F1 star switching motorsport venues, rather the 2008 World Champion was just taking part in the “Mobil 1 Car Swap” with Tony Stewart – the double NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Champion.

With the usual aerobatics involved, Hamilton hopped into Stewart's 850 horsepower, 3,400 pound Chevrolet Impala NASCAR Cup car, while Stewart squeezed into the cockpit of Hamilton’s 760 horsepower, 1,411 pound McLaren F1 car.

Hamilton seemed keen to have some fun at the wheel and relax after the disastrous weekend at the Canada GP. The experience of driving a NASCAR racer was a first for him, as it was for Stewart, though he has driven open-wheelers in the past, having raced in the IRL.

The event was held at the 2011 Watkins Glen International in New York, one of the few in the world to have hosted both F1 and NASCAR races, and we have a couple of nice videos to show you.

So what did they think of each other’s rides? Speaking of the Impala Cup car, Hamilton said it "handles really well. It's absolutely fantastic."

Stewart commented about the F1 car’s downforce, saying he's familiar with downforce from his previous IndyCar experience, but never at this level. "I think, probably, the thing that stood out the most was how incredibly efficient and good the brakes are, how far you can go," he added.