Elon Musk proposes a race between an electric car and an F1 with hybrid or petrol engine

There were a host of celebrities in attendance around Hard Rock Stadium for the Miami Formula 1 Grand Prix , but Tesla and now Twitter CEO Elon Musk was the most notable VIP. In addition to his presence, his words drew attention.

Indeed, Musk visited the garages of the paddock before proposing a challenge on his Twitter account: " I challenge a race between an electric car and a hybrid Formula 1 ". This proposal has generated a lot of reactions, although it seems that Musk is unaware of the existence of Formula E.

Formula E fell 17 seconds behind Formula 1 in Monaco

The Miami Grand Prix saw a large number of personalities, including Jeff Bezos , Roger Federer , Luis Fonsi , Will.I.Am , Becky G ... As expected, the event attracted a large number of VIPs, but only one really caught the eye: Elon Musk was the center of attention. Not only did he visit the garages and the starting grid, but he also challenged the Formula 1 teams.

Musk explained that he had an interesting conversation with Christian Horner , the Red Bull team principal , about aerodynamics, batteries and technology in Formula 1. Then he came up with a surprising idea: to organize a race between an electric car and a hybrid or gasoline-powered Formula 1 car. "I proposed a race between an electric car and a hybrid or gasoline-powered Formula 1 car," he said.

As CEO of Tesla, the leading electric car brand, Musk has sought to champion his project, but he hasn't picked the most opportune time to do so. He chose a time when the Monaco Formula One Grand Prix was being held , and where another major motorsport event was also taking place, namely the Monaco E-Prix , a competition for electric single-seaters in the Formula E category. .

On the same track used by Formula 1 in Monaco, the Formula E event clearly highlighted the big differences that still exist between electric single-seaters and Formula 1 hybrids . The fastest time recorded in Formula E qualifying in Monaco was 1:28.773, which is a difference of 17 seconds from Charles Leclerc 's pole position in Formula 1 in 2022.

In fact, what makes Monaco handy for comparison is that the Formula 1 Grand Prix has been held there almost forever, with few changes to the layout. You have to go back to 1966, when Jim Clark clocked 1:29.9, to find a Formula 1 dry pole position slower than 1:28.773.

Fun discussion on aero and battery technology in F1.

I proposed a pure EV vs petrol/hybrid F1 race.

– Elon Musk (@elonmusk) 6 mai 2023

It seems highly unlikely that Elon Musk can win his challenge, given that Formula E is considered to be far behind Formula 1, which is far more advanced in terms of technology and performance.