Westeros doesn't have time for pursuits like car racing with the imminent threat of the White Walkers. But recently, the King in the North, Jon Snow, and his trusted advisor Davos Seaworth took some time off from their duties in Winterfell to travel to Autodromo Nazionale Monza in Italy, where they got to take rides in a pair of two-seat Formula 1 cars.
The specially designed cars allow a passenger to sit behind the driver. It is based on the 1998 Tyrrell 026 car—appropriate, given House Tyrell's support of Daenerys Targaryen. But these cars don't roar like a dragon; rather, they scream with the classic V-10 engine sound of the era. An updated car, known as the F1X2, will replace it next year.
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Actor Kit Harington was rather nervous as he prepared to head out onto the track, almost having a "code brown" incident even before leaving the pits. But after settling in he ended up thoroughly enjoying the experience.
"I was cursing at all of you for putting me in that thing!" said Harrington after his ride. "That’s the most fun I’ve had. The first lap I think I was just surviving.”
“I wasn’t surviving!” countered co-star Liam Cunningham, who seemed to take the experience much more in stride. When you've been through all that Davos Seaworth has experienced, a ride in a Formula 1 car must feel relatively safe since no one is actually trying to kill him.
Certainly, these two have their hands full right now, trying to counter the threat of the White Walkers while holding off the Lannisters to the south. But if Westeros survives the war without turning into a land of the undead, perhaps Jon Snow will find himself presiding over the first annual Grand Prix of Winterfell.