AlphaTauri/Red Bull Racing
We finally have a driver who can beat Max Verstappen
The 2023 Formula 1 season has not allowed for too much excitement at the front of the field. Red Bull has won every race this season, with Sergio Pérez scoring a pair of victories and teammate Max Verstappen notching six wins of his own. As the field heads to Red Bull Ring for the Austrian Grand Prix — Red Bull’s home race — there is every reason to believe that Verstappen will come away with his fifth-straight win.
If excitement cannot be found on the track, perhaps some can be found off of it. In the latest installment of the (Un)Serious Race Series, we finally find a driver able to beat Verstappen.
Yuki Tsunoda.
The (Un)Serious Race Series is a friendly challenge between Red Bull and AlphaTauri, and this is the second installment in the competition. The first installment took place ahead of the Miami Grand Prix, and saw Tsunoda race Red Bull reserve driver Daniel Ricciardo in some mini jet boats.
In this week’s edition, Tsunoda and Verstappen took got behind the wheels of some monster trucks, and it made for incredible content.
As well as a win for Tsunoda:
“Max had an amazing lap in quali, he was three seconds ahead. I thought ‘Ok, maybe I need to push more throttle’,” said Tsunoda after the “race”.
“I had a good start and used my momentum to the end. Unfortunately, he had a bit of misfiring…well actually I put a bit of water into his engine, but don’t tell anyone!” joked Tsunoda. “That strategy worked, and I wanted to defend my first place from the first Unserious Race Series with Daniel [Ricciardo].”
Verstappen was gracious in defeat.
“The great thing is that we always do these kinds of crazy things that no other team does,” said the current leader in the Drivers’ standings. “So, for me to have already been part of the team for such a long time, we’ve done so many different and weird and crazy things. This is another one on the list.”
Despite the loss, Verstappen has his sights on something more important: Red Bull’s home race in Austria, and keeping himself atop the table.
“I have a lot of good memories about the race in Austria. We have been winning quite a few times, which is the most important at our home track,” said Verstappen. “What is beautiful is that there are so many grandstands, and you can almost see the whole track. The whole atmosphere because of that is great.”
So if the lack of excitement remains at the front of the F1 field, perhaps fans can find some thrills — as well as a driver ready to challenge Verstappen — in the (Un)Serious Race Series.
