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Models Paul Sculfor and Oliver Cheshire go head to head with Formula E star Mitch Evans
By Michelle Johnson | 27 February 2018 | Sport
Challenging celebrities at the BRITs After Party, driver Evans demonstrates what it takes to be top of the leaderboard
Formula E driver Mitch Evans is one of the most exciting rising stars in motorsport, and so it was only natural that celebrity guests at the BRIT Awards Official Aftershow Party, in partnership with Tempus, would want to put themselves to the test. Pixie Lott, Oliver Cheshire, Tallia Storm and Paul Sculfor were among the stars racing to find out how they would fare on the official Formula E simulators placed on last Wednesday's red carpet.
The 23-year-old driver claimed his first Formula E podium against world champion Lucas Di Grassi at December's Hong Kong E-Prix, and it was this circuit that guests tested themselves against before heading into London's O2 Arena to watch stars like Dua Lipa and Stormzy dominate the BRIT Awards 2018.
"I love my music, so what better way to see some of my favourite acts than at the BRIT awards," Evans told Tempus. "My times weren't too dissimilar [from the December race], although it probably wasn't as clean as in real life. Hopefully it was fast enough that no one beats me tonight, as that would be a bit embarrassing!"
Luckily, Evans didn't have much trouble from model Oliver Cheshire, who at first struggled slightly with the highly responsive steering and speed of the simulator car. Speaking to Tempus, Pixie Lott said: "I was watching Oliver, and usually he's amazing at games and stuff but he was terrible, he kept crashing. I was like, 'I don't know If I want to get in a car with you after this.'" >>
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Model and actor Paul Sculfor, on the other hand, seemed to find his calling as he raced smoothly around the simulator circuit. "Apparently, I did well – Mitch said I did okay. I made it in 01:13, but I need another hour to be honest," he told Tempus. "If I beat my time I'll be really happy, but they're brilliant. It's fantastic to feel like you're in the car."
Of his celebrity challengers, Evans joked: "I'm a little bit nervous actually, I feel like my job might be at risk [if the stars do well]. It's cool for the guests here tonight to have the opportunity to drive the simulators. It's as close to driving a real Formula E car as you can get."