Bugatti’s Chiron hypercar is one of the fastest gasoline-powered vehicles on the planet, and it delivers its record-breaking performance with the kind of luxury you’d expect from a limo.

But how does the Bugatti stack up in a drag race against an F1 car, a gasoline-powered machine designed with no other purpose beyond busting the laws of physics? CarWow lined up a current Chiron with a Red Bull Formula 1 car to find out.

F1 cars are designed to lap circuits, not win drag races, but they’re still extremely rapid machines in a straight line, even older ones like the 2011 Championship-winning Red Bull RB7 seen here. The RB7’s 2.4-liter V8 makes 750 hp, drives the rear wheels only, and the whole package weighs just 1433 lbs (650 kg).

Bugatti’s Chiron, on the other hand, weighs 4398 lbs (1995 kg), almost three times as much. But its quad-turbo W16 makes 1479 hp and sends that power to the ground through all-four wheels. Sounds like the makings of a good race, right?

Related: 2022 Rimac Nevera Sets Unofficial Quarter Mile Record, Destroys Ferrari SF90 Stradale In Race

And so it proves. With former F1 star David Coulthard driving the Red Bull, and CarWow presenter Matt Watson riding shotgun in the Chiron alongside its owner (who appears terrified at times), the pair leave the line, looking incredibly well matched over the first few yards.

In the third of three races, the Bugatti even pulls out a little lead on the Red Bull. But ultimately, on each occasion, the F1 car gets its act together and beats the Chiron to the line. The timing gear registers a 9.2-second quarter mile for the Red Bull and 9.6 seconds for the Bugatti.

But after engaging in a 50mph roll-on race (which the Bugatti also loses) the duo carry on past the quarter mile to run a full mile, and that’s when things get really interesting. We won’t spoil the result, but the drag from the F1 car’s big wings allows the Bugatti to reel it in, and the final few seconds – with the Chiron’s speedo registering over 205mph – is edge of the seat stuff.

It’s worth pointing out that, quick as this pair is, the Rimac Nevera CarWow raced against a Ferrari SF90 earlier this month would have crushed both cars in a quarter mile race. It reached that marker in 8.6 seconds. But we’d rather listen to the scream of the Red Bull’s V8 any day of the week.