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Tesla Model S Plaid driver shares insights after multiple Nurburgring laps

Image Credit: sebastian vittel/YouTube

In a way, the Tesla Model S Plaid’s track capabilities were honed in the mother of all race tracks, the Nurburgring. Its prototypes were spotted testing in the Nurburgring in 2019, and they inspired their own set of headlines after their performance was observed by German motoring publications. 

Eventually, the Model S Plaid set the official world speed record for a production electric car at Nurburgring with a lap time of 7:35.579. The time was not as quick as some of the hand-stopped laps that were observed by German media, but it was impressive enough considering the fact that the Model S Plaid was completely stock. It was even driven with Tesla’s controversial steering yoke. 

Tesla Model S Plaid owner and racer Sebastian Vittel, who demonstrated the capabilities of the all-electric flagship sedan at the track with the company’s Carbon Ceramic Brake Kit, recently took his vehicle to the Nurburgring for a set of laps. The conditions were not optimal, as the track was dirty, wet in some places, and the weather was cold. Despite this, Vittel opted to try out his Tesla’s capabilities on the track. 

A look at the video shows that Vittel drove the Model S Plaid quickly around the Nurburgring, but he was still cautious during the run. Thus, the vehicle did not set any records during the Tesla owner’s laps. Regardless, the flagship all-electric vehicle’s performance was impressive, as it still was able to overtake multiple high-performance cars that were also running at the track. 

The racer shared some insights from his experience in his YouTube video’s description. For one, the driver noted that the Model S Plaid was nothing short of amazing during its Nurburgring run. The car also did not overheat during its initial laps, unlike a Model 3 that was previously tested. Vittel noted that the Model S Plaid’s battery eventually became red after its third lap, but even with its power throttled, it was still overtaking the majority of the cars at the Nurburgring. 

“So what can I say?….well as expected the car is amazing. Of course, it was not a fast lap, but we can feel the potential of the car here, and most importantly, the car felt easy, well-balanced, and safe, which is super important on the Nordschleife. The car did not overheat during the lap, as we can experience on the Model 3. Anyway, the battery pack became red after the third lap, (but) even with this limp mode, we have something like 500hp, so enough for continuing driving around on the track and overtaking 90% of the cars here,” Vittel wrote. 

Watch Vittel’s Nurburgring run in the video below. 

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Tesla Model S Plaid driver shares insights after multiple Nurburgring laps
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