Classics Round 8: 2007 F1 at Laguna

Race 2 shifted the Classics Series into an entirely different universe — the high-tech, high-downforce world of 2007 Formula 1 machinery. For the first time, Tiara found herself in a single-seater, entrusted with none other than Kimi Räikkönen’s Ferrari F2007, the very car that carried the Iceman to a World Championship.

From the moment she left the line, Tiara looked composed and unflustered. The leap from GT cars and classics into the razor-edge sensitivity of a Formula 1 car is a daunting one, but she adapted quickly. Lap by lap, her confidence grew. She kept the car neat and tidy, and by the midpoint of the stint she was stringing together consistent laps, setting a best of 7.924 while keeping the Ferrari clean and mistake-free.

On the other side of the garage, Shane strapped into Lewis Hamilton’s McLaren MP4/22 — a car renowned for its raw pace. And the speed was undeniable. He delivered the fastest lap of the race with a blistering 7.176, proving the McLaren’s sheer power. But with the speed came risk, and across the run, mistakes began to creep in. Pushing the limits of grip and braking zones, Shane’s McLaren never quite found the same stability Tiara had mastered.

By the checkered flag, Tiara’s measured drive in the Ferrari earned her the victory, while Shane’s struggles left him 4 laps adrift despite his outright pace advantage. The result underlined a key lesson of endurance competition: sometimes precision and control outweigh raw speed. For Tiara, it was a breakthrough performance in her first ever single-seater race — and for Shane, a reminder of just how punishing Formula 1 machinery can be when not perfectly tamed.