Two reigning World Champions; F1′s Jenson Button and V8 Supercar’s Jamie Whincup swapped machinery for the day on Tuesday for a Vodafone promotion, who sponsor Button’s McLaren team, and Whincup’s TeamVodafone.

Whincup got to drive the McLaren Formula 1 car around the Albert Park Street Circuit in Melbourne, after Button tackled the circuit which will hold Sunday’s Australian Grand Prix in TeamVodafone’s Holden Commodore.

Button said:

“That was great! It was difficult to get used to: I was surprised by how much grip it had. I was carrying a lot of speed, but turned into a right-hander, got a lot of under-steer and ran off the Tarmac onto the painted run-off. But it was all good. In a Formula 1 car I’d have been closing my eyes at that point!”

Jenson Button

Whincup could hardly contain his excitement having sampled the World Championship-winning 2008-spec MP4-23, saying:

“Jumping into a Formula 1 car is almost like going into space, or flying a fighter jet. It’s right up there with the best thing I could ever do.

“The car just does everything you’d want it to. The strain on my neck was amazing. The g-forces you feel are so much greater than I’d feel aboard my own race car. The F1 car is just a rocket ship. It’s another league.”

Jamie Whincup

Button was impressed with the Australian’s drive:

“Jamie did a great job. He’s a racing driver, so he knows how to control a car. It was pretty dusty out there, so probably not the best time to be jumping behind the wheel of a Formula 1 car for the first time. But I could tell he had a lot of fun.”

Jenson Button