How to drive as fast as an F1 driver | Fifth Gear

Jonny trains to drive as quick as an F1 driver, with help from legendary coach, Rob Wilson. Taken from Series 27 of Fifth Gear, first broadcast October 2018 on Quest.
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[@askanracing]

As an advanced driving instructor myself i learnt a few things from this, this old dude puts the right words on driving fast, which is hard.

[@iciman100]

How to drive as fast as an F1 driver ... in a Vauxhall

[@blacky0121]

@@iciman100 "chill"

[@iciman100]

@@blacky0121 ; )

[@JakobusVdL]

'this old dude' , no wonder you find it hard to 'find the right words'

[@kolinmartz]

Step 1: be an F1 driver. Step 2: no matter what speed you’re in, you’re as fast as an F1 driver.

[@bandvitromania9642]

Yeah i bet an a Volkswagen Beetle is fast as an a f1 Ferrari.

[@kolinmartz]

BANDVIT romania you’re obviously too dense to understand my comment.

[@kolinmartz]

disarchitected I guess you can’t drive as fast as an F1 driver then. Are you too much of a dullard to understand my joke? Or are you just obtuse for the sake of it?

[@1815cct]

Nice

[@rollingpanda9590]

​@@bandvitromania9642 If they're going the same speed, yes

[@keithknight1107]

I would love to spend a day with this man to teach me how to properly drive

[@RobertLeBlancPhoto]

I wish I could afford to pay him to teach my whole family. His combination of skill and patience are unheard of.

[@TheWilliamHoganExperience]

I was an National level autocross comepetitor back the early 00s. Autocross competion in the US involves time-trial / precision driving of very tight courses defined by traffic cones. Most classes require that you drive street legal cars on street tires, and speeds are kept at or under 70 mph or so. It is the best car control training you can get. A typical autocross course has 30 or more elements (turns / boxes / slaloms) to negotiate, and hundreds of traffic cones stationed in chalked "boxes" on the pavement. Knocking a cone over out of it's box = 2 second penalty = you lose the race. ...and here's the thing: Laps take about as long as F-1 laps - a minute or so, but where a typical F-1 course might have 9 or 10 turns, we have 30 or 40 to negotiate in that same 60 seconds. No two courses are the same, and you are not allowed to pre-drive and memorize / practice driving it. You get to walk the course once on race day, followed by 3 hot-laps durring competition. Turns come at you 2 to 3 times FASTER than they do at an F-1 driver, and are unfamiliar. You must read the course in real time, and react with precisely timed and exectued throttle, braking, turning and shifting inputs, and to win, you must graze critical apex and exit cones with your car's wheels without knocking them over. Ocassionally Rally drivers and other professional road racers would show up at our events and practices in high-dollar race cars thinking they were going to mop the floor with us in our street cars at practices. Yea....well, they always learned valuable lessons about the importance of driving skill and car handling and situational awareness as we handed them their a$$es in our Honda Civics and Ford Escorts. If you can drive a street car fast on a race-track, you can drive a race car fast, because race cars are much easier to drive fast if set-up properly. It's all physics, so the same principals apply. There are many counter-intuitive things that go with driving fast - smooth, decisive inputs are at the top of the heap though. Smooth doesn't nessearily mean "slow" inputs. Turn-in should be quick and precise. Braking should as well, with trail braking used to modulate turn-in, weight transfer, and thus rotationof the car via over and under-steer followed by deft throtlle work mid-turn and on exit. The thing about "smoothly getting off the brakes" is what's called "trail braking". The "line" is a moving target and changes depending on the type of car you are driving and it's capabilities, as well as track conditions like camber and smoothness and availible traction. You want to make as few steering inputs as possible while linking turns smoothly so that you drive the shortest course possible. Brakes and throttle are just as important as steering inputs, and all must work together to maintain and direct momentum around the track. The steering wheel itself is a brake. Learn how to drive fast on an autocross course, and then head to a big fast track like Willow Springs and watch what happens: It's like a day at the beach, because you get to memorize the track by driving dozens of laps per heat, and you have FOERVER to set-up for turns. Autocrossers always do well at track days.... So it's no surpize that F-1 drivers train in street cars with Mr Wilson. He knows what's up!

[@EppingForest304]

Wish I a had a instructor that skilled when I first learnt to drive!

[@kellingtonlink956]

You need to learn how to drive before you get to a gentleman like this. As he said ... Johnny is a very natural ‘driver’. He needs to start with a decent experienced driver, so he can witness what he’s (can) working with. I considered what you said, at first, too.

[@HochstartHarry]

I basicly tought myself after the initial driving training. I drive a volvo 240 wagon with a few mods and my miata and civic buddies cant get around me on b roads... (Its about 120hp and 1.3 tonnes) wich translates to a hp/kg of 0.098... or in laymans terms not alot

[@NippyMoto]

Driving fast and driving in general are two very different things.

[@luke4800]

you dont need a race car coach to learn how to drive a car

[@Dafastso]

just keep the throttle open all the time and only brake when youre about to die simple

[@zerothehero2494]

Eey, lol, this made me spit out my cereal!

[@ghp0518]

I think maybe Astra having a soft suspension and being a bit more sensitive to mass transfers, makes it a good choice to showcase where you can improve

[@nomaschalupas2453]

most novice drivers can push a car but they cant all drive it smooth at the edge. fwd cars are good at teaching throttle and brake control.

[@derbigpr500]

But the Astra doesn't have soft suspension. It's just a very neutral handling car.

[@80smusic43]

They used the Top Gear reasonably priced car

[@willotoole4118]

It's a newer model of the it Car: Vauxhall Astra SRi (K) MK7 MY18

[@bandvitromania9642]

@@willotoole4118 yeah but still its an a family hatchback not the sport model.

[@bensmithkent22]

Odd choice I have one as my runaround its woeful in corners. By the end of this maybe i will be able to drive it better? I know the 1.6 turbo one put in a decent stint on Grand Tour company car park laps.

[@manikdj123]

The statement that every Audi driver thinks as he/she weaves in and out of traffic...😂

[@peanuts2105]

Rob is a living legend and worth his weight in gold. That Astra, is a good little car and surprisingly quick!

[@IceMan-il7dx]

A nice video for the local magistrate...."I was watching this and went for a drive after, in my clapped out old Astra, Your Honour"

[@fredsalfa]

Comming off the brakes gradually makes sense

[@nelsonphillips]

depends on what gradually means. In the end everything he will tell you well be done gradually.

[@SIXITHS]

It help to prevent the sudden transfer of weight from the front to the back as you come off the breaks, which unsettles the car.

[@bv2146]

Rob got a golden voice 🙌🏽

[@natidaschoolboy]

7:09 the footwork though🤣

[@JLawlietK]

It hurts me to keep seeing his left foot resting on the clutch

[@AlexSmith-yn2xl]

When you’re on a track you are constantly shifting so its not as much resting ur foot as it is preparing to push it in and shift again

[@colin5577]

I’ve spent time and money with guys like this - it’s amazing to learn from an artist. Must get in touch with Rob and see if I can have a go.

[@DavidHalChester]

This was tons of fun. Jonny's got a great sense of humor. I loved it!

[@michaelmassart2349]

Razor sharp driving to match Johnny's fresh look. 👍👌 mate!

[@Manakuski]

One thing i can tell you about an Astra like this is that it's incredibly hard to heel&toe due to the way the pedals are placed in the footwell (english isn't my native language). Probably doesn't matter that much, since the car itself actually has a very good chassis and steering, however the steering is a bit too light making it a bit vague, but it's quite accurate. I like the K Astra personally a lot, it's kinda "boring", but it's a very balanced car in so many ways.

[@alexanderbankowski5617]

Astra H and I agree with everything you say

[@jackpiggott40]

Honestly, I drive the 1.4T Astra gtc from 2012, the brake and throttle are on a different elevation so it’s near impossible to heel and toe, plus the gearbox isn’t amazing for driving fast

[@bump_draft]

@@jackpiggott40 I had the Chevy Cruze 1.6 TD (US spec Astra) and found it damn near impossible to heel-toe.

[@MaleficoMr.T]

Astra G 2.0, same here. But the chasis is stiff af!!

[@bump_draft]

@@MaleficoMr.T I was astonished at how much grip it had. I added the Chevy accessory "performance spring package" and it would really hustle down a twisty road.

[@Billiamiscool]

This video was great, I loved it!

[@Wasmachineman]

2:48 Nokia 6310, absolute TANK of a phone.

[@mark-1rc502]

Top gear did something similar with James May and Jackie steward in a tvr Tuscan

[@MrWilliam.Stewart]

Second best video on you tube. The best one hasn't been made yet!

[@NoWr2Run]

NICE DRIVING JOHNNY, I WAS IMPRESSED.

[@selldivision]

Love your work Jonny

[@NinhLyUK]

Sign me up to have lessons with Rob! What a guy!

[@leonardoluchici704]

Out of experience I can tell that this man knows what he is doing. Woth the steering not only you optimize tire wear, but also get more grip and control the g forces executed on the car. There is a quote I love that resonates with this, slow is smooth and smooth is fast. And its also of great essence to know how long to stay on the brake and how hard to press it. But usually a bit of trail braking will do the trick on keeping the rear in check. Braking and steering are some of the most important techniques in racing. Edit: Learned in while doing mountain pass racing in my moms car at 17

[@BobbyJay1]

Those new Astra (model K) have power. The 1.6 litre turbo (petrol) has 200bhp. Plus they're cheap

[@FireHawkGaming]

Great driving cars. I have the estate version with a 1.4 125ps turbo. I somehow managed to beat a Noble M12 off the lights...

[@jordanbell4420]

The real reason they're used though is because they have pretty low limits. Remember what he was saying about not coming off the brakes too fast, instead trailing off them gradually to slow the rearwards weight transfer? In an Astra, you can really feel the difference in how the car moves around, even if you haven't quite mastered it yet. In a higher performance car, you won't feel much difference unless you're really, really good.

[@Casavult]

I have the 1.6 Turbo. Brilliant cars for the money.

[@mark-1rc502]

Casavult Yeah Surprisingly quick for a 200bhp car, worryingly quick that’s from an ST driver 🤔my Bro In Law has the 200bhp. Vxr Corsa it sounds quite meaty but he don’t really Drive it Hard he’s in 5th gear at 30mph 🤣

[@bandvitromania9642]

Yeah like the brand new Volkswagen Polo but Astra is better.

[@grahamlwilson]

what an amazing improvement in just 1 hour.

[@designanddirection]

You should have been taught by Baz in his lowered VW Polo, the kind of kid wrapping his cars around trees on a Saturday night, all around the UK!

[@ReplicantBattyman]

baz is the old guard. that honour has since been passed on to Dan the Fiesta ST driver (with pop and bang tune obviously)

[@davepianist84]

I'm following a guy that does street racing, what impressed me is how good he is and, curious as it sounds he has a similar technique on corners than the one shown here.

[@ArashFallah]

This reminds me of that time when James May was taught by Sir. Jackie Stewart!

[@kellingtonlink956]

Thanks for another interesting video.

[@Zoran69]

Slow is smooth, smooth is fast! :)

[@ruhbanahmed3425]

Damn what a hero!

[@viswanathaditham5085]

Holy guacamole, is that Johnny?

[@BrodzFn]

I'd love to have a go at this

[@cocosloan3748]

Yeah its all about his "trusty" stop-watch :)

[@nobodynoone2500]

Where can I get the unedited full lesson?

[@schuletrip]

All you youngsters out there; you definitely should learn to drive (after you’ve passed your test) in a small hatch back. You’ll learn car control and handling, all while building your confidence. Don’t go all out and get something fast as fook for your first car!

[@truthseeker8483]

Astra K has the battery in the boot and a watts linkage on the rear suspension beam helping to make it a good handler.

[@ghp0518]

The stock suspension is a bit too soft for it's true driving potential but I guess, this is why it's a great car to show where you can improve, if you mess up mass transfer it will be noticeable.

[@vkgiotis]

amazing!

[@eliotsalandybrown]

Love this

[@daveg5857]

Interesting. The cornering technique and coming off the breaks progressively are part of my technique on the road.

[@panama-canada]

Amazing!!

[@zaheerkader7426]

He's an f1 driver whisperer

[@lakmeister]

I had that fone...top shit!!! He knows his onions this here Rob!!!

[@danielschwarz6894]

He is the old weird legendary sensei that teaches the main character in an anime

[@gavinivers8941]

Rod won the Barber Saab series in the USA.

[@rob832]

Rob has been on a lot of Peter Windsor's podcasts

[@natidaschoolboy]

Top Gear!!!

[@imexidios973]

Now I want to learn how to run as fast as this camera man.

[@bb3xhrhj]

Did you make the video this way to protect his knowledge from getting you? Seems like you deliberately avoided giving us the information Jonny was given.

[@rahulk1203]

Corneliu Codreanu Obviously ! If it all got out who would take his classes!

[@nathanchildress5596]

I still got a couple really solid tips! I think you'd have to be on the same track to know the specifics

[@_lux_w23_5]

Do love an Astra!

[@FireHawkGaming]

I've owned 2 cars. Both Astras. My current one is an estate. 1.4 turbo, 125bhp 2016 model. Bloody quick when sports button is on.

[@bensmithkent22]

@@FireHawkGaming agree. Its not a hot or even a warm hatch by any means . I have the 150bhp one as a shopper and was always sceptical about these so called sport buttons. In these it really does makes it respond more yet does nowt for the steering. I imagine the 1.6 gives even greater rewards.

[@thatcandont]

Besides not having an Olympic sized pool in my basement, I’m sad I’ll never have the money to meet this guy

[@bencrosbie]

I wanna do this 👍🏼 id be happy out

[@jasonvogue4487]

Looks where THE STIG has fun

[@victorgitau9045]

I wish I'd get such an experience.

[@golf1diesel]

nice.Finally someone real.No snobs allowed.

[@willotoole4118]

Nice Astra

[@rajchoudhury5130]

nice video pisses on TOP GEAR. I work at Bruntingthorpe going to find this Legend now

[@markflierl1624]

I would have thought the rules would be different: between a front wheel drive car and a rear wheel drive car.

[@nelsonphillips]

no, they are general rules. Its learning your ABC's.

[@dominickivanov5085]

Isn't it because generally when braking your car's nose will go down ( front engine, I suppose?), that's why it doesn't matter if it's fwd or rwd?

[@fookayou8607]

Brake like me with your left trough corners upto corners and you can be faster with more control while accelerating

[@TheGafferBigAl]

I love your work and I love the car too, great job guys, I love it and enjoyed it, keep up the great work up and coming please.🙌🏿🙏🏿👏🏿👌🏿👍🏿🔥

[@buzozg]

how many kW does this astra have?

[@richsackett3423]

Bro in a Reasonably-Priced Car.

[@jonlyons1033]

Thanks for the tips, I never thought about coming off the brake smoootherr. I'm off to buy some loafers after all if they're good enough for the Astra whisperer and that bloke in the yellow bird...

[@RobertLeBlancPhoto]

Jon.dotpom Dotpom Have you tried the Goodyear driving shoes? I have them and they're really amazing for driving.

[@jonlyons1033]

Rob L. Yes, but the wings on the heels kept me from going foot flat.😄

[@lekhapratap1652]

On the road? Jee, I don’t think the red light will like that?

[@JD-eq4dp]

Its easy when on a racetrack you dont have to worry about vehicles travelling towards you, junctions, other road users, pedestrians and every other hazard.

[@wozmac771]

the cornering steering input is from Senna..And i just realized....i do these techniques on the highways....i would say my cars' suspension complement these techniques

[@davidnhowe6628]

Can you please explain it to me in simple terms.

[@214senna]

How come Johnny seem aged that much all of a sudden?

[@soggybaguette8457]

Bruno Senna beard maybe?

[@DashCamSerbia]

@@pharaongaming8617 I don't think that Soggy Baguette is a real name.

[@farvatron]

Man he looks 25 years older and it's only been 10 wtf

[@pharaongaming8617]

@@DashCamSerbia I was asking Brunno Senna xD

[@DashCamSerbia]

@@pharaongaming8617 I know. :p

[@peterscrimizzi8137]

Bobs secret to having reflexes like a cat: smoke off 2 packets of malborough just before the outlap!!

[@OldLugnutz]

Focus on autocross skills does usually make for a better driver.

[@Dayumhesgood]

5th gear is still going?

[@Aotearoa_Kiwi]

After all these years, Rob hasn't lost his Kiwi accent.

[@jonlyons1033]

Aotearoa Kiwi Kia kaha ma Bros!

[@Aotearoa_Kiwi]

@@jonlyons1033 Tēnā koe my friend.

[@Secretlyanothername]

Thuts uwsum

[@metalneverends7155]

God I need this I want to be as professional as him

[@stargazeronesixseven]

Watching so many car accidents on the public roads nowadays , we needed driving instructors to teach learners on how to drive Safely , Smoothly , Prepared for any eventuality & to drive economically! Public roads are not for showing off or for racing! Start the journey earlier instead of speeding! Call to inform of any lateness but Never Speeding to make up time , as many who do ended up quite tragically! ... 🐕

[@metalneverends7155]

Teach me the ways

[@soundseeker63]

Cool grandad can cut your lap times by 11 seconds in just a couple of hours...... How much does he charge per hour? .... Doubt I could afford it whatever it is though haha!

[@ayaanjahangir365]

Test 1

[@jakeharrison6444]

I have no doubt he’s incredible at his job, but a better test would be on a track that he already knows, on this test he will naturally get faster whilst he’s learning the track layout until rob pushes him further

[@DrPacman]

Some people are just masters

[@lolalalaq]

THAT DOES NOT LIKE OTHER JOHNNY WERE USE TO SEEING.

[@android1617]

James May did this about a decade ago

[@nelsonphillips]

With Jackie Stewart. Wilson is a better teacher.

[@theacehd1742]

why not miata?

[@kjeldlarsen912]

On the streets?

[@jasonboyle7203]

Interesting

[@christophernixon8445]

Wait a minute I read an article about him in apple news. I remember because it was one of the only ones I saved.

[@johnsimun6533]

Smooth is fast, and fast is smooth.

[@nelsonphillips]

depends on what smooth is.

[@TheTarrMan]

I wish I could do this. Have some driving schooling. I live in Peoria, IL. We don't have that here. We got some oval track in the general area but. . . . "proper driving", none.

[@orionbeltVking]

The vip passanger get sleep smooth...all go stright..no moving head ..😊

[@tonihandoko9706]

A really good race driver will drive fast but in an ease manner, you won't feel threatened siding along. you won't feel the driving was fast at all. but a reckless driver is always on alert and does all the unnecessary such as spinning the wheel, turning hard, breaking hard, understeering, over-revving. A good driver won't turn too hard since it will bring G effect on the brain and prevent the driver's response normally.

[@thatcandont]

Have fun with that

[@Milanutje]

You look like the walmart version of my math teacher

[@user-zi3cg3bk6t]

me watching the video after two years to cosplay racer boi on the street

[@kielfeschuk4790]

Dangerous words to the owner of a chevy Cruze lmao

[@Jackomac43]

The new Astras actually look good. Tbh the whole Vauxhall range is alright.

[@toyotaprius79]

_Thanks Citroen/Peugeot_

[@ionutkiss6827]

B Lowe only the new not released Corsa and zafira life are made by psa at the moment

[@manuelrusu7052]

@@toyotaprius79 IT has nothing to do with PSA group this Astra. It's an original Vauxhall /Opel.

[@Stefan50326]

As a German I'd like to tell you that Vauxhall is one of the unloved brands in Germany. What we're looking for is Audi, BMW, Porsche and for some of us VW. I in person love Volvo's S line (S40/60/80) and Jaguar S-Type. Lamborghini, Ferrari & Co. is good to but nothing you could pay.

[@woncho1]

That’s driving outside the box!?

[@iciman100]

Fully Charged guy no ??

[@sebastianlim2499]

Finnish F1 drivers are powered by Ice cream and Porridge. Bwoah f1 fan should understand

[@Dragoslav_MD]

And a beard in 2019.

[@dejoelf2883]

Valterri bottas

[@minorearthmajorsky1476]

I’m surprised that they didn’t use the 1.6 turbo (200hp)

[@jackshotton9222]

ONYX.G Harder to stall a diesel, keeps the front end planted, low end torque removes as much skill needed- helps you learn.

[@soundseeker63]

The engine is largely irrelevant in tuition like this, as its all about how you maintain maximum speed through the corners, not peak speeds on the straights.