Despite completing a marathon season in which he won 19 races, Max Verstappen was back behind the wheel of a race car for a special event in Japan over the weekend.
Granted, he was in a go-kart, not an F1 car, but it was far from a comfortable afternoon for the three-time world champion, with Daniel Ricciardo mostly responsible for that.
Verstappen, Ricciardo, Sergio Perez and Yuki Tsunoda took part in the Honda Racing ‘Thanks Day’ karting event, with the company a major sponsor for their Red Bull and AlphaTauri teams.
But Ricciardo was unwilling to let Verstappen enjoy yet another leisurely drive. The Australian was seen cutting a corner bore shunting into the side of the Dutchman’s car, sending him into a spin.
The rest of the field passed the Red Bull star, ending his chance of victory.
Max Verstappen jokingly branded Daniel Ricciardo a ‘terrorist’ in Japan
The Formula One stars took part in a go karting event but it was chaos
Verstappen and Ricciardo are good friends and could race together for Red Bull
VERSTAPPEN’S HUMAN, AFTER ALL
Max Verstappen got a rare taste of defeat in Amsterdam this week, when he was BEATEN by a gamer in the final of a global sim-racing competition.
The Heineken event – titled Player 0.0 – saw fellow Dutchman Floris Wijers beat the three-time F1 world champion, as well as winners from tournaments held in Canada, Brazil and Mexico.
Inside the historic walls of Heineken’s first brewery in Amsterdam, the Red Bull superstar came second in a gripping 14-lap race at Zandvoort – one of very few occasions he hasn’t been on the top step in 2023!
Max Verstappen takes part in the sim race at Heineken’s first brewery in Amsterdam
At the end of the event, it wasn’t the three-time F1 world champion on the top step
Ricciardo continued corner cutting for the rest of the race but Verstappen managed to catch up with him. This time, it was fair racing as Perez took the chequered flag, with Ricciardo second Verstappen third.
‘It went quite well but then Daniel decided to be a terrorist,’ Verstappen joked after the race.
‘He was literally trying to kill everyone out there.’
‘It’s great to see so many fans here again,’ he added ‘Thank you everyone for coming.’
Ricciardo added: ‘We are actually a bit used to this because when we race in Japan there is always a very big group of loyal fans. It was great today.’
