Autoblog UK

When I ask a typical reader what a racing car should look like, he generally lists such features as wide tyres, a gigantic rear spoiler and a pointy nosecone. All of these have disappeared from Formula One. The mighty rear wings have been clipped, the tyres may have lost their ultra-cautious grooves but are still ludicrously narrow and the likes of Renault look as if they get punched in the nose every day.

Yet when I take a walk along the pit lane at the Le Mans 24-hour classic, I see pure thoroughbred racing cars in front of all the garages - you can even excuse the Peugeot prototype with its roof. "After Formula One, LMP1 is the fastest series in motorsport," we are assured by former winner Marco Werner. Retired F1 driver Olivier Panis is well qualified to make the comparison. In an interview with autoblog, he said: "The car is more direct and heavier, but in terms of downforce, it is quite similar to an F1 machine. It's a fun event." And maybe that's the one thing that has been missing from Formula One with all its recent political machinations - the fun element.

Racing drivers have an easy life: every fortnight or so, they jet around the world, mix with the glamorous set and even get to put their foot down in really fast cars. What could be better than that?

Well, there are a couple of drawbacks, especially if you're competing in the Le Mans 24-hour race. "I'm not going to inflict that on myself again," confided three-times winner Marco Werner to autoblog. So what's the problem? "The cars are now so technologically advanced that you can't really compare their performance with a couple of decades back. Nowadays, we have so much downforce and lateral acceleration that the models we drive are only five or six years behind the current F1 machines in their development. Also, we're driving three hour stints, equivalent to two-and-a-half F1 races. We get a short break and then we're back behind the wheel again. Quite honestly, when you get past the age of fifty, you're not inclined to do that to your body any more because, from 40 onwards, you start to get minor ailments - for example, a hernia last year."