McLaren 650S

McLaren 650S driven hard by Kevin Magnussen

Today is the day I get to try a co-driver ride with Kevin Magnussen in a McLaren 650S. A fast car, driven by a super fast Formula 1 driver.

You're ready for a ride like that once the ticket is bought. Helmet on and over to the waiting area.

The McLaren shows up after a short while, lightly smoking from the wheel area. It must have been warmed up by now. That suggests nothing will be held back. That's really nice!

Now it's my turn. Into the car. Say hi to Kevin and wait for takeoff. You sit well in the bucket-shaped racing seat.

Calmly Kevin rolls forward to the start. The man with the red flag indicates that we need to wait for a clear track.

A Mazda MX-5 turns around to begin a new lap. It's given over 12 seconds head start before the flag is raised and we're allowed to drive.

The 650 hp McLaren now has to show what it's made of in the hands of an F1 driver. It accelerates up through the gears. The speed quickly rounds 200 km/h and just keeps going. It's just lovely.

The corners are taken with good speed. The Mazda MX-5 is overtaken right at the entrance to the roundabout. After the roundabout comes the long stretch where the highest speed is reached.

The turbocharged 3.8 litre engine gets to show what it can do, until the speed is taken off to begin a new lap.

On the second lap there's no traffic, and the McLaren 650S gets to deliver the goods all the way around the track.

In the roundabout Kevin drifts in the best style, to great cheers from me and the crowd. After that we drive at full throttle until it's time to brake again and drive into the pit to end the ride.

It was a true pleasure to have an unforgettable ride with Kevin Magnussen, who handled the drive in the best way.