There may have been no Formula 1 race this past weekend for Lewis Hamilton and George Russell, but that didn’t keep the pair from spending a little time on the track.
The two Mercedes-AMG drivers recently pushed the One hypercar to its limits for a video posted to the performance sub-brand’s YouTube page. After all, who better to test out the F1-inspired technical marvel than the two people best acquainted with the team’s race car?
The short clip depicts the teammates enjoying an afternoon of driving at the Playground, which is Mercedes-Benz’s test track in the German town of Immendingen, according to Motor1.com. Up first, both drivers got the chance to try out the most exciting (and powerful) model in the AMG stable, the record-setting One, in a slalom test. The $2.7 million hypercar pairs an ultra-aerodynamic design with an F1-derived hybrid power train with a turbocharged 1.6-liter V-6 and four electric motors that combine to pump out over 1,000 hp. Both drivers hit their fair share of cones winding their way through the course but seem to have had a blast doing so. They also decided to drag race the hypercar, with Hamilton coming out on top.
“It’s just insane that’s it’s actually got a Formula 1 engine in the back,” Hamilton said of the street-legal vehicle. “But the handling for me is the best part. I was getting some drifting through the slaloms.”
Hamilton and Russell’s time behind the wheel wasn’t limited to the One. The pair also took two of AMG’s sportier models—Hamilton the new GT and Russell the C63 S E Performance—drifting, an activity both readily admit was made easier thanks to Drift Mode. Finally, Hamilton took the S63 E Performance for a luxurious spin around the track, while Russell enjoyed the ride from the passenger seat.
Mercedes-AMG One
Mercedes AMG
Unfortunately, if you want to drive the One, you might have to become an AMG team driver. The entire 275-car production run of the oft-delayed vehicle is already sold out. Even if you were able to find someone willing to let you drive theirs, you’d have to travel to another country to drive it. Last summer, the sub-brand announced it would not sell the vehicle in the U.S. because of its strict road standards.