NASCAR champ Kyle Larson has many times made a public wish to feel the thrill of an F1 car. However, recently on the Stacking Pennies podcast, Larson spilled the actual truth about why he would simply rather not.
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Responding to the idea that he would find himself in a Formula 1 juggernaut, Larson was quick to say, “no no no no never.” Explaining his firm response, Larson explained we would absolutely love to test an F1 car, but the experiences of other NASCAR drivers have held him back.
Refusing to fall into the usual sequence of events – a simple seat swap is off the tables for Young Money.
Dubbing it “impossible” to make this dream come true simply because he is 30 years old and American. An insight into the closed world of F1 – the European series rarely makes it possible for newcomers to enter its elite club – but Larson insists that even a blip of an opportunity wouldn’t help him.
Kyle Larson explains why he does not want F1 experience
Hungry for a “legit test”, Larson recalls Lewis Hamilton’s seat swap with Tony Stewart at Watkins Glen. Having witnessed the iconic moment first-hand, Larson scoffed at the PR stunt, looking for the real deal instead.
The 2021 champion explained that it felt more like a commercial to him. Larson said that he wants to race in a current car and do it real and not just fake it.
Seat swaps between the two leagues have been a common occurrence to bridge the gap across the pond and engage two vastly different audiences.
Further switches from F1 to NASCAR aren’t unusual. F1 dignitaries like Kimi Raikkonen, Juan Pablo Montoya, and even Daniil Kvyat and Jenson Button have given the stock car a run.
When Tony Stewart lent his Chevvy to Lewis Hamilton
The event Larson recalls is certainly a moment in history. Tony Stewart and Lewis Hamilton swapped their victorious beasts for an afternoon. Stewart got comfortable behind Hamilton’s championship-winning McLaren while Hamilton sat behind the wheel of the No. 14 Chevvy from NASCAR’s Sprint Cup Series.
Stepping into unfamiliar territory, the two legends stepped out of the cars elated. “Once we got rolling, it was unbelievable,” Stewart had managed to describe what he called the experience of a lifetime.
Hamilton, on the other hand, felt nostalgic. “I just feel like a kid today. It’s good to be a kid again.”
Years later, Smoke runs the show at NASCAR, while 7x Champion Lewis Hamilton chases a history-making 8th. From what the two adrenaline junkies describe it as, Kyle Larson should probably give his F1 dream a shot; at least, before it’s too late.
