British driving at its’ best…with a little Red Bull flair
Never ones to shy away from an on-track battle with the Best of British, what better way to prepare for the British Grand Prix than with a shootout against some of Britain’s most iconic modes of transport….
For this Best of British battle, there was no holding back when it came to bringing out some iconic members of British transport history – and you can’t get much more iconic than the Supermarine Spitfire. One of the greatest fighter planes ever built and a jewel of aerodynamic and engineering vision and skill, the Spitfire was always going to be top of the list.
With the Spitfire confirmed, the only thing remaining was to think of some other transport icons, vehicles that embody British culture and the thrill of the open road. How about…. a Double-decker night bus, London black cab, a car packed full of summer festival-goers, and that notorious symbol on the British roads, the white van.
In true Red Bull spirit we fired up the double F1 championship-winning RB7 to take on the big beasts of British transport in a fight to the finish line ahead of this weekend’s race.
Located just up the road from Red Bull Racing Honda’s Technology Campus in Milton Keynes, the British Grand Prix is a hugely significant race for the Team and for its drivers as Max explains.
“The British love their motorsport, which is special to see, so I’m always very happy to be in the country, but of course to be at Silverstone is even better. It was great to see all of these typically British vehicles on track with the RB7 and I hope the fans enjoy this bit of fun before the race at the weekend.”
Red Bull Racing Honda CEO and Team Principal, Christian Horner added: “I think Silverstone is going to be a big challenge. It’s been a stronghold of Mercedes for several years now, but it’s another opportunity to see how we perform on a different track. And of course, with the first of the new Sprint Races this year it’s going to be a new event format and extra points are available. Whatever happens it’s going to be a really exciting weekend and we are ready for the fight.”
Max Verstappen Q&A
AST: There will be a full crowd at Silverstone this weekend, how does it compare racing in front of a UK crowd to any other circuit in the world?
MV: Having fans back will really make the difference at Silverstone and the British crowd love motorsport in general which means it is a special place to be. Last year we did two races with no crowds and the atmosphere was missing, it’s of course still an amazing track, but to have the fans back again is going to make it even better and even though I know they will be supporting the British drivers I love to see the passion that they have for all of us. I just hope that the race is going to be exciting for them too.
AST: It’s been a great start to the season for yourself and the team, your reflections on success so far?
MV: We’ve started the season off really well and of course I’m very happy about that, but we have to keep on pushing, we can’t just be thinking about our results so far. It’s going to be really tight and a challenge for the rest of the year but that is what makes it exciting. We were for sure ahead in Austria and our car was very good there but in France we only won with a few laps to go, so the championship is very close and maybe even closer than the points show at the moment. There are some tough tracks coming up where Mercedes may have the edge on us but we have a great Team and we are doing everything we can to try and stay ahead.
AST: How much does it excite you that there’s a new a format that allows you to race flat out without needing to pit?
MV: I’m very open about trying the sprint races and I quite like that we have a bit less practice before we head into qualifying, but let’s just wait, it’s difficult to say anything about it until we’ve tested it this weekend. Every race you take risks but controlled risks, especially when you are fighting for a championship, but this one race isn’t going to define the end result.