MAX VERSTAPPEN TRADES HIS RB19 F1 CAR FOR MAD MIKE'S MADBUL, A 600 HP FD3S MAZDA RX-7
If there’s one company that makes working for it look like all the best experiences and fun and games it has to be Red Bull, especially on the content creation team. Can you imagine sitting around a table firing off cool content ideas and someone pipes up: “Max Verstappen looks bored racing on his own in Formula One, we should chuck him in a drift car so he can have some excitement for a day. While we’re at it, we’ll just rope in 'Mad' Mike Whiddett and one of his bonkers rotary-powered drifty cars to show Max the ropes.” In any normal meeting, everyone would agree that it’s awesome, laugh a bit, chuck in even more fantasy scenarios and then they’d get back to reality and think of things that are actually actionable. Unless you work for Red Bull. A few phone calls would be made, budgets set and approved and then when everyone’s calendars lined up there would be a day planned to do exactly that - teach current Formula One World Champion and Oracle Red Bull Racing driver Max Verstappen how to drift using Mike Whiddett as the instructor. That’s exactly what you see here, Super Max getting to try something that’s been a lifelong ambition to learn, and it’s awesome. To make things even more memorable, the Dutchman’s first foray into the world of drifting, the car used was Mad Mike’s triple-rotor Mazda RX8, A.K.A BADBUL. My first time drifting was in a 13B rotary-powered Mk1 Escort with all of 139 kW at the wheels. Max’s first time is behind the wheel of a turbocharged 20B 3-rotor in a Mazda RX-8 with over 600 kW at the wheels.
The 25-year-old faced new challenges, instead of looking for the maximum line of grip and driving to conserve tyres, he now had to learn how to kick the rear out and keep it there while absolutely punishing a set of tyres, while also carrying some decent speed. With the New Zealander giving the right input, Verstappen was thrust into high-speed doughnuts, figure-of-8 manoeuvres, and made to master the Scandi-flick, and finishing with a surprise appearance from a familiar face to keep him on his toes at the 'Horner Corner' trick. Verstappen said: "Learning to drift was very crazy; I didn't know what to expect. I think it was the most nervous I've been in the past two years because it's not natural to how I normally drive. It felt like I was 16 again and jumping into an F1 car for the first time! As soon as the engine started and I began drifting with the wheels spinning, I got into my natural zone where I was finding the limits of the car, as I do in F1 - I felt that same adrenaline rush, and my instinct took over.". Mad Mike followed up: "We really pushed the limits with Max, and I hope he learnt some awesome tricks he can take to the F1 track - drifting is as raw as it gets! I'd love to try out these challenges in an F1 car and see what's possible in Max's seat next time.” Cool, cool. All we take away from that quote is that if someone at the next Red Bull content meeting serves up the idea of taking a world-famous drifter to a circuit to see if he could drift a Formula One car, we’re guaranteed to see some cracking content appear.
Take a look at the YouTube video showing what Formula One drivers do in their spare time, well just one in particular, the 2023 season star, Max Verstappen. With F1 looking a little boring thanks to winning 8 races so far in 2023, the Dutchman turned to drifting for some excitement under the guidance of fellow Red Bull Motorsports driver and celebrity, New Zealander Mad Mike Whiddett. Yet another reason we love Red Bull and their awesome content creation: Max Verstappen Learns How to Drift | Feat Mad Mike | Red Bull Motorsport
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