Sportswear giants Puma have pitted top footballers against Formula One hotshot Nico Rosberg and a new pacesetter has emerged.
Nigel de Jong toppled Michael Carrick's best lap around Monza by less than a tenth of a second.
The 'Puma Race Off' sees among others, Puma-sponsored Sergio Aguero, Cesc Fabregas, Bacary Sagna and Carrick given the chance to prove their talent in one of the world’s fastest racing machines - the Petronas Mercedes F1 car of 2012.
Recently, another two drivers attempted a lap of the historic Monza circuit in Italy inside a Mercedes GP racing simulator car.
Jones not as consistent
First up was Manchester United and England centre back Phil Jones (pictured).
The 20-year-old, who is currently on the sidelines through injury admitted in a video that he is a fan of Grand Prix racing.
He said: "I love to watch the racing when I get the time and the chance. It is a good sport."
Unfortunately, Jones's performance in a racing car wasn't as consistent as his displays for the Red Devils.
His time of 1 min 27.96 secs was nearly four seconds slower than his club team-mate Carrick.
After his scrappy lap, he said: "No I'm not happy with my time, it's a bit frustrating not to beat Michael Carrick."
A new standard is set
Later, former Manchester City holding midfielder de Jong got his chance behind the wheel.
He sounded confident, saying: "It doesn't matter what sport it is, I always go for the win."
de Jong's lap looked cautious into the braking zones but he got excellent exits out of the tricky chicanes on the Italian circuit, a race that was won this season by Britain's Lewis Hamilton, who will drive for Mercedes GP in 2013.
The Dutchman who now plays his club football for AC Milan set a lap time of 1 min 23.91 secs, fractionally faster than Carrick's best time.
He is now in pole position to get a real F1 experience, with just Aguero left to pit his skills in the challenge.
The winner will be offered a driving lesson from Chinese Grand Prix winner Rosberg, before putting their skills to the test in a high-performance Mercedes-Benz car around a genuine racing circuit.
You can keep updated with the 'Race Off' via Puma's Official website and watch de Jong's lap here.
By Simon Wright - Follow me on Twitter @Siwri88
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