Max Verstappen teamed up with professional drift driver 'Mad' Mike Whiddett to master the art of drift car driving.
After getting a grasp of the essentials, Verstappen's skills were put to the test in a unique drifting challenge, complete with cardboard cutouts representing Christian Horner.
The Drifting champion showcased the Beast: a 1992 Mazda RX7 with around 600 horsepower. It was stripped of traction control, ABS, and stability control. This unique machine remained exclusively under Whiddett's command, with now an exception made for the F1 championship leader.
Through a sequence of lessons, the Dutchman honed his drifting technique, seamlessly manoeuvring through doughnuts, figure eights, and executing a scandi flick.
His quick mastery was admired by his mentor: "Oh man honestly you picked it up so fast," cheered 'Mad' Mike, "Oh this is good bro, loving it!"
Max Verstappen's Unforgettable High-Five with Christian Horner
After conquering the three lessons, the Drifting champion got rid of the cones. “Okay, now we've got a real challenge for Max, whilst he's off there having some lunch, we're gonna get rid of those.”
“We're going to create the Horner Corner! Replacing all 10 cones with Max's boss man - and I've even made it really easy for Max, I've oversized his hand!”
When Verstappen first laid eyes on the cardboard figurines of his boss, he appeared a little stunned: “It's uhh, an interesting Christian there, uh... With a big hand!” Pondering the objective, he added, “I guess we're supposed to hit that - I think we can maybe hit a few - at least I'll try!”
The Drifting champion showed faith in Verstappen's prowess, stating, “Ideally you knock all ten. Tap his hand, give him a high five with the rear end of the car.” Then continued, "So you got one chance, if you can get eight... I mean you are a Formula One world champion, no pressure!”
Whiddett's confidence was justified, as his pupil managed to accurately hit eight out of the ten cardboard hands and successfully completed the challenge. Regrettably, the last cutout faced the consequences of the car's exuberant high-five, resulting in it being launched into the air.