People seem to love watching drag races, and Top Gear prepared something pretty special for its Christmas Eve episode. They gathered racing vehicles from WRC, Formula 1, and Formula E, to see which one is fastest in a straight line – at least under the wet road conditions that are so common in the UK this time of the year.
M-Sport’s Ford Fiesta WRC felt more at home on wet tarmac thanks to the four-wheel-drive layout. The race car is fitted with a turbocharged 1.6-liter engine producing 375 hp (280 kW / 308 PS) mated to a six-speed sequential gearbox sending power to all four wheels with the help of mechanical front and rear differentials plus an active center differential. Notably, this is the only non-electrified racecar of the bunch since plug-in hybrid powertrains in WRC will arrive in the 2022 season.
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The Mercedes AMG F1 W10 EQ Power+ in the middle was built in 2019, and gave both Mercedes and Lewis Hamilton their sixth F1 title. However, this specific car has some extra bits and pieces from the 2020 Mercedes-AMG F1 W11 EQ Performance and is wearing the team’s more recent black livery. Naturally, it is the most powerful of the trio by a large margin. The turbocharged 1.6-liter V6 is combined with an electric motor producing close to 1,000 hp (746 kW / 1,014 PS) for a car that only weighs 743 kg (1,638 pounds). The downside is that the eight-speed sequential gearbox sends power only to the rear wheels, making it hard to generate enough traction on such a damp surface.
Last but not least, the electric future of motorsports is represented by the DS E-Tense FE21 single-seater from this year’s Formula E championship. The electric motors produce 338 hp (250 kW / 340 PS) and power the rear wheels, with energy being stored in a 54kWh battery. While its specs are not as impressive as in the other two vehicles, the Formula E can accelerate from 0-100 km/h in 2.8 seconds thanks to the low weight of 903 kg (1,991 pounds).
We don’t like spoilers but the predictability of this race doesn’t ruin the fun. Top Gear hosts Chris, Freddie, and Paddy were not driving for this stunt, but safely watched the special race from the sidelines instead, leaving the rest to the professional teams.