Formula 1 is heading into a new era in 2014 – and so is how you can experience it. Check out this stunning 360 degree video just put out by the Mercedes AMG F1 team, that allows you to get up close and personal with Nico Rosberg at the wheel, watching from any angle you choose. It’s as if you’re hanging onto the sidepod of his new-for-2014 turbo-charged W05!

The stunning footage was captured using a special rig of half a dozen HD cameras strapped to the sidepod, and you can spin round every angle as Nico blasts around the Silverstone track in the UK. Red Bull did a similar thing last year, but here you also get the chance to experience what the new generation blown F1 cars sound like: you can hear Nico’s car whistle whilst he works, so to speak.

There’s also a bonkers ‘Little Planet’ view, that means you can get a crazy fisheye view as though you were hovering above the car, though in fullscreen it will make your brain explode.

The laps were put in during filming days so as not to upset F1’s strict testing restrictions, so Nico isn’t really pushing and he’s only using the short National circuit, but it’s still an awesome piece of footage. Check out the accompanying video they’ve made of Lewis Hamilton hooning about in a Mercedes E63 AMG S, also filmed with the same 360 camera tech.

Can you imagine this kind of footage during an actual F1 race? It’s enough to make your head spin as fast as this video…

Jonathan Moore
Instagram: speedhunters_jonathan
jonathan@speedhunters.com