Two-time Formula One World Champion Max Verstappen is on track to win his third championship this year. The Dutchman’s straight line is phenomenal but that does not automatically imply that he is excellent going sideways.
Max recently went to Meet drifting maestro ‘Mad’ Mike Whiddett in Milton Keynes for a lesson on how to push a modified 600bhp ‘MADBUL’ Mazda drifting car to its limits.
Though Verstappen already has a grasp of the basic drifting principles considering his motorsport background, this is his first-ever outing in a proper drift car. And he claims that “it was very crazy”
Max Verstappen shares daring F1 drifting experience with ‘Mad Mike’
The car which the Red Bull prodigy drove was Mike Whiddett’s MADBUL. This isn’t just any drift car; it’s the world’s most traveled drift car, and this was the first time Mad Mike has trusted anyone but himself behind the wheel.
First, Mad Mike had Verstappen try his hands out in performing some donuts, then figure eights, a Scandi Flick, and for the final challenge, Mad Mike set up a 100-meter arc consisting of ten cardboard cut-outs of Oracle Red Bull Racing Team Principle, Christian Horner.
Verstappen was charged with getting the car as close as possible to the cutouts without running over his team principal. And had this to say about his day with Mike:
“It was very crazy. I mean, I didn’t know what to expect already sitting next to him, and then I had to do it myself. I think it’s probably I’ve been the most nervous in the last one or two years doing that, just because it’s not natural, right? It’s not what I do normally. “So the first time [doing it] and also I’m on the right-hand side of the car, so everything is opposite to me, so that took a little bit of time to get used to. But it was insanely cool.”
Max Verstappen receives praise from his father for his F1 supremacy
Following the Belgium GP, Jos Verstappen, the two-time world champion’s father and guidance figure provided an honest peek into his son’s ambitions to demonstrate to the world “who the best is.”
Elder Verstappen added that this was the result of a “dream” alliance between his son and Red Bull. He said the combination of Max and Red Bull, “simply works. Of course, you need a fantastic car, and he has it. It’s amazing, better than a dream, much more amazing.”
Praising his son on record to ServusTV, he said “Max wants to show who the best is. He’s proving that again here [in Spa]. He’s fully on it. But it’s also challenging: always being there, in every practice session, qualifying, and race – but that’s what he’s doing at the moment.”
What do you think about Max’s drifting adventure during the summer break? Do let us know in the comments section below.
