"I've never been to a F1 race," Gordon said when he arrived at the track in Spain. "Ever since I drove a BMW-
Williams last year, I said I have to go and see a race now. We went down to Turn 1 on Friday, and when I saw them driving I knew what they were experiencing. Now that I have driven the car it takes on a whole new meaning for me."
Gordon and Johnson saw that the F1 drivers could brake so much later entering the turns than what the NASCAR drivers are able to do with their NEXTEL Cup Series cars.
"The braking zones that they go into," Gordon marvelled of the F1 cars, "you don't think that it is actually possible for a race car on four rubber tyres to be able to do what they do. But yet after driving it I know that it does, and it is absolutely incredible. It does all the things that I wish my car would do, but doesn't!"
What's the biggest difference between F1 compared to NASCAR?
"Just the grand scale of things," Gordon said. "The number of engineers and the type of technology. This (motor home/hospitality) area impresses me. We have nothing like this anywhere in our paddock area. The facilities are impeccable; the way that the racetrack is prepared, to me that side of it is very impressive. And from a financial and technology side, just the grand scale of how they are able to do things."
But there are similarities between the two series, as well.
"The teams put the best people in place and have chemistry," Gordon said. "Everybody is here to accomplish the same thing, and that is to be as competitive and fast as possible and to win. The best teams in NASCAR that put the right teams in place are successful and win. It is very similar here, but you don't see the success as much. In
F1, to finish second or third is very successful, as well, while for us we have to win a race to be successful."
Another similarity between F1 and NASCAR is that the drivers have the same intensely competitive spirit. As he watched, did Gordon wish he were out there on the track with the F1 drivers?
![Jeff Gordon gives Juan Pablo Montoya a few tips on how to drive his NASCAR Chevrolet Monte Carlo [Pic credit: BMW]](http://pix.crash.net/thumbs/58256.jpg )
