Navigating off-road is something a Formula 1 driver tends to avoid. Of course, itโs a slightly different scenario when youโre seven-time world champion Sir Lewis Hamilton, who was recently invited to test drive the INEO Grenadier by the British automakerโs billionaire founder Sir Jim Ratcliffe.
โIโm genuinely enjoying driving this car,โ said Lewis Hamilton; which is rather high praise considering he recently admitted to harbouring something of a dislike for driving beyond the grid (โIโd rather hand my keys to my friends or somethingโฆ I donโt like traffic, itโs more stressful for me.โ).
RELATED: Lewis Hamilton Pays A Tow Truck To Move His Cars After Heโs Done Driving
โItโs very comfortable considering some of the huge dips we were driving downโฆ I was pretty much flat-out around the course. Iโm massively surprised at how much grip there is.โ
Sir Jim said: โThe Grenadier was designed to be good off-road, but we didnโt know it was going to be as good as it is on the road. I can definitely say I donโt think anyone has ever driven it like Lewis drove it.โ
Around this time last year, during his final season with Mercedes AMG Petronas F1, Hamiltonโs former teammate and current Alfa Romeo driver, Valtteri Bottas, also gave the INEOS 4ร4 a test drive while waxing poetic about the beauty of off-roading.
RELATED: McLarenโs Oscar Piastri Inks His First Brand Deal As A Formula 1 Driver
For reference, INEO is both a principal sponsor and one of the Mercedes F1 outfitโs three major shareholders, hence why they have access to talent of this calibre for marketing promotions such as this. One big happy family, as it were.
The INEOS Grenadier houses twin BMW-sourced 3.0-litre twin-turbo engines, mated to a ZF eight-speed automatic transmission. Available in either a gasoline or diesel option, itโs capable of generating 281 horsepower / 332 lb-ft of torque and 245 horsepower / 406 lb-ft of torque, respectively.
Check out Sir Lewis Hamilton and Sir Jim Ratcliffe test-driving the INEO Grenadier above โ and hit the link below to find out how you can get one of these beastly 4x4s for yourself.
