In the world of motorsports, Formula One stands because the epitome of precision and breakneck velocity. On the opposite hand, drifting is like an asphalt pirouette, the place drivers intentionally make their vehicles slide on the monitor. At Milton Keynes, these two worlds spectacularly converged as Max Verstappen, the two-time Formula One World Champion, joined forces with drifting Master ‘Mad’ Mike Whiddett for an unforgettable monitor problem, the place Verstappen learned to float.
Click right here to subscribe to our print version!
Amidst his very good 2023 season eight-race successful streak, Oracle Red Bull Racing star Max Verstappen took on a lifelong ambition to study to float vehicles with the assistance of none aside from skilled drift driver ‘Mad’ Mike Whiddett across the Milton Keynes monitor in Buckinghamshire.
Whiddett isn’t any stranger to challenges. He has efficiently drifted round troublesome places just like the UK’s complicated ‘Magic Roundabout’ in Swindon, a roundabout recognized for its bewildering design. He has additionally taken his BADBUL drift automobile on a thrilling high-speed run on South Africa’s scenic Franschhoek Pass at 248kph. With such experiences underneath his belt, Whiddett had the right experience to mentor Verstappen on this new enterprise.
Dutchman Verstappen, who has reeled off ten victories already this season and sits on the high of the drivers’ standings, battled uncommon nerves as he grappled with the 600HP MADBUL drift automobile, a stark distinction to his normal F1 machine.
The 25-year-old confronted challenges beforehand unknown to him on a racetrack. With ‘Mad Mike’ guiding, Verstappen was thrust into high-speed doughnuts, figure-of-8 manoeuvres, and the fast direction-change referred to as the Scandi-flick and ending with a shock look from a acquainted face to maintain him on his toes on the ‘Horner Corner’ trick.
New Zealand-born Whiddett is famend for repurposing high-performance velocity machines into drift marvels. He notably reworked a Lamborghini Huracan, a automobile constructed for precision and velocity, into a drifting spectacle for the 2018 Goodwood Festival of Speed. In a comparable vein, now he’s channelling that experience, to not convert the Formula One automobile, however to mould their drivers — turning an F1 Champion into a drift maestro.
READ MORE: Sergio “Checo” Perez shuts down the streets of Madrid
While Verstappen’s normal F1 vehicles are aerodynamic marvels designed for velocity and grip, the MADBUL, an FD3S Mazda RX-7 with 600HP, is constructed to slip gracefully. It’s a machine that calls for mastery to regulate its sideways dance throughout the circuit.
Verstappen mentioned: “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 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.”
Whiddett from Auckland, 42, mentioned: “We really pushed the limits with Max, and I hope he learnt some awesome tricks he could 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.”
