{"id":752061,"date":"2026-06-21T18:32:10","date_gmt":"2026-06-21T18:32:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/752061\/"},"modified":"2026-06-21T18:32:10","modified_gmt":"2026-06-21T18:32:10","slug":"watch-a-mclaren-mercedes-slr-roadster-drift-monacos-hairpins-before-f1-qualifying","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/752061\/","title":{"rendered":"Watch a McLaren-Mercedes SLR Roadster Drift Monaco\u2019s Hairpins Before F1 Qualifying"},"content":{"rendered":"

There are better ways to spend qualifying morning at Monaco than watching a former rally driver slide a supercar<\/a> through mountain hairpins at 7am. Probably. But it\u2019s hard to think of one right now.<\/p>\n

That was the scene on the hills above Monaco during the most recent Grand Prix weekend \u2013 a small convoy of serious machinery heading into the hills above the principality before filtering back down in time for F1 qualifying. The group included a Porsche<\/a> 992.2 Speedster<\/a>, a 992.2 GT3, and a Jaguar. But the car everyone kept looking at was the Mercedes-Benz<\/a> SLR Roadster<\/a>, driven by a man named Raul \u2013 described as a French and Italian local personality, a former rally driver from the \u201980s and early \u201990s, and someone who is apparently \u201cfamous for going sideways in any car that he drives.\u201d<\/p>\n

That reputation held up. By the third corner on the route up through the iconic Route de la Turbie, the Seen Through Glass YouTuber Sam Fane could already smell burning rubber. The SLR was already sideways.<\/p>\n

On paper, the SLR Roadster was never meant for this Due to its automatic<\/a> gearbox, front mid-engine arrangement, and driving<\/a> characteristics, some automotive journalists classify the SLR McLaren<\/a> as a grand tourer \u2013 not a precision point-and-squirt sports car<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Beneath the long hood sits a hand-built 5.4-liter supercharged<\/a> V8 from AMG producing 617 horsepower and 575 lb-ft of torque, sent to the rear wheels through a 5-speed AMG Speedshift automatic.<\/p>\n

That transmission was chosen, per autoevolution, specifically for its ability to handle the engine<\/a>\u2018s enormous torque load.<\/p>\n

As a convertible<\/a>, the Roadster was burdened with extra weight compared to the coupe, which affected both performance<\/a> and handling.<\/p>\n

Raul apparently considers that a minor detail. During the switchback section of the route, he looped two hairpins in full opposite-lock slides and kept the car moving \u2013 with the host watching through the windscreen in something between awe and mild concern. The conversation after the run included the observation that on one straight section, the SLR was still sideways for no particular mechanical reason. \u201cThere was one where it was straight and you were still \u2013 I was like, \u2018Oh shit,’\u201d Fane said.<\/p>\n

What Raul pointed out afterward is actually interesting from a driver\u2019s perspective: the SLR\u2019s autobox and limited-slip differential mean the car\u2019s behavior in a slide isn\u2019t always predictable, and modern sports cars<\/a> with fully disableable traction control give the driver more control over that dynamic. The SLR doesn\u2019t let you switch everything off entirely, which makes what Raul pulls off in the thing even more remarkable. His take on it: \u201cThis is auto block and gearbox and manual\u2026 with this car you slide is incredible.\u201d<\/p>\n

He also noted he sold over 30 SLRs across his career, which perhaps explains the comfort level.<\/p>\n

Back Down in Time for Qualifying<\/p>\n

The convoy made a coffee stop at a French patisserie the host had discovered a few years earlier during Monaco Historic, which is exactly the right way to spend a Saturday morning in the south of France. Then it was back to Monaco in time for F1 qualifying \u2013 where, as it turned out, the SLR wasn\u2019t the only McLaren product having a good day.<\/p>\n

As mornings go, this is hard to beat.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"There are better ways to spend qualifying morning at Monaco than watching a former rally driver slide a…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":752062,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[441],"tags":[49,48,578,576,577,82],"class_list":["post-752061","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-formula-1","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-f1","tag-formula-1","tag-formula1","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/752061","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=752061"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/752061\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/752062"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=752061"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=752061"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=752061"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}