Merc-AMG GT Roadster

- Devesh Shobha

A beast from the Green Hell they said, and although it didn’t quite look it, I’m told it’s a beast to drive. How beastly could it be, I wonder before jumping into its figure-hugging seats, strapping on the bright yellow seatbelt and going off towards the pit exit. It’s a lovely afternoon, with clear blue skies and temperatures hovering in the 40s. I’m cautiously navigating turn after turn on my outlap, trying to stay focused despite my excitement.

I want to grasp everything I can on this lap so I’m well versed with this animal on my first of the two hot laps I’m allowed to take at the Buddh International Circuit. I’m trying to make the most of this opportunity; how often would you get a chance to blaze around a F1 track, in a 575bhp AMG GT R, a sportscar that now holds the lap record at this very track for being the fastest production car?

As I approach Turn 1, I slam on the brakes hard past the 150m marker board, and get my brains wired to hit the apex and go for the throttle as early as I can – I’d started the lap timer just to gauge how fast, or rather slow I’m from the fastest lap time set in this car. But suddenly, I realise I haven’t slowed down enough to gracefully take T1, and that’s when I realise the brakes are nearly at the end of their lives, and I give it another shove, locking the wheels while trying to turn in as I’m quickly running out of tarmac. The last thing I want to do is beach the car and be a laughing stock back in the pits. All the electronics in the GT R let me take over the reins of the car, and just as I’m about to hit the gravel trap, I turn the GT R towards the racetrack, give it some throttle and the tail wags, kissing the gravel goodbye with its left rear wheel.