Watch how a Ford Fiesta humbles Lewis Hamilton's Formula 1 car

A video shows the standing-start superiority that Rallycross cars have over Formula 1 cars.

Formula 1 cars feature the most advanced technology in the automotive world. Their incredible aerodynamics and high power output make them the fastest vehicles in the world on a circuit; we are leaving aside ovals, where only top speed counts. However, they have a small deficit compared with other racing vehicles – such as Rallycross cars – when starting from a standstill, as we can see in the following video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EFGqSQvt55I

Naturally, Formula 1 cars are much faster than Rallycross cars on twisty sections and even on the straights, but they have a significant handicap off the line: the transfer of power – around 1,000 CV – to the ground is carried out by the rear wheels, whereas the cars competing in the WRX do the same job using both the front and rear axles (all-wheel drive). For this reason, even though the power of the Rallycross cars is much lower (600 CV), their starts on tarmac are far more spectacular than those of a Formula 1 car; let alone on gravel, where the RX cars show their true potential.

Naturally, the video above was recorded during an exhibition in which neither of the two cars was delivering 100 % of its potential, but it is still significant to see live the stronger launch that Rallycross cars have over Formula 1 cars; the difference in acceleration – 0 to 100 km/h – between the two could be around six tenths of a second.

In case you hadn’t already worked it out, the driver at the wheel of the Ford Fiesta RX in the video is the genius of the famous gymkhanas, Ken Block. Meanwhile, Lewis Hamilton is the one making the Mercedes roar.