CAN F1 DRIVERS DRIFT?
BBC TopGear India|September 2023
Sure, Max Verstappen is one of the fastest drivers in the world operating at the top of his game, but can he smoke a set of rear tyres like the the best of them? We're there to witness his intro to the science of sideways
JASON BARLOW
CAN F1 DRIVERS DRIFT?

Max Verstappen is on fire. A huge lick of M flame has erupted from the exhaust of his car, and he's just dumped the clutch with a ferocity that would detonate a Formula One gearbox during a Grand Prix start. "Rev it to the moon!" says the man beside him, as the air is rent asunder by a sound like a haunted beehive. Then they explode forwards, and more pertinently sideways. Very, very sideways.

F1 drivers don't generally drift. If they do, it's usually the precursor to a crash or a big spin. Supernatural car control is a given, yet oversteer is anathema. But today reigning - soon to be triple - F1 world champion Verstappen is on a mission to add another skill to his formidable armoury. He's learning to drift. Now, Max's racing comfort zone is so well established he's practically moved a sofa and giant flatscreen TV into his all-conquering Red Bull RB19. But he insists there's work to be done.

"I've never drifted in my life. I haven't prepared at all so I guess that's even better," he says with a sheepish grin. "Here and there I've drifted a bit in my F1 car, but not like we're going to do today. Let's see if any skills I've learnt over the years can help me."

Here and there, he says. Skills. He's being a touch disingenuous. Cast your mind back to the rain-soaked 2016 Brazilian GP when Max exited the last corner on whatever counts as full opposite lock in an F1 car and somehow managed not to bin it. (It looked impossible.) Even more impressive was the powerslide when he drove Jean-Éric Vergne's Toro Rosso in a practice session at the same circuit two years previously. (That went viral, JEV moved to Formula E.) We know Verstappen has a propensity for getting his elbows out during a race, and for finding grip where none apparently exists, but he's also able to make an F1 car dance.

This story is from the September 2023 edition of BBC TopGear India.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the September 2023 edition of BBC TopGear India.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM BBC TOPGEAR INDIAView All
Does It Fly?
BBC TopGear India

Does It Fly?

2024 TVS APACHE RR 310 ₹2.75 Lakh - ₹2.97 Lakh (ex-showroom)

time-read
7 mins  |
October 2024
Is It A Scooter? Is It A Bike? No! It Is The BMW CE 02
BBC TopGear India

Is It A Scooter? Is It A Bike? No! It Is The BMW CE 02

It is rare when you come across a moment where a company brings out a vehicle into the market without knowing who exactly they want to sell it to.

time-read
4 mins  |
October 2024
Aston Martin Valkyrie
BBC TopGear India

Aston Martin Valkyrie

The Aston Martin Valkyrie still looks like nothing else on four wheels. Probably because it isn’t.

time-read
1 min  |
October 2024
ONE-MAN BAND
BBC TopGear India

ONE-MAN BAND

We are a cynical bunch of people as we try our best to narrow down our vision and focus on the things that are lacking.

time-read
6 mins  |
October 2024
CRISIS AVERTED! THE EXISTENTIAL KIND
BBC TopGear India

CRISIS AVERTED! THE EXISTENTIAL KIND

Finally, the Yezdi Adventure won’t be suffering from an existential crisis anymore.

time-read
3 mins  |
October 2024
ROYAL ENFIELD HIMALAYAN
BBC TopGear India

ROYAL ENFIELD HIMALAYAN

ALTHOUGH IT IS A PERENNIAL ORDEAL FOR ANY MOTORCYCLIST to feel sad while parting ways with a motorcycle, it became even sadder for me this time around.

time-read
1 min  |
October 2024
TVS APACHE RTR 310
BBC TopGear India

TVS APACHE RTR 310

THE FIRST THING I WANT TO SAY IS - “IT IS A MENACE ON WHEELS”.

time-read
1 min  |
October 2024
ACE OF BASE
BBC TopGear India

ACE OF BASE

What happens when you take Porsche's old school entry level model and give it a very not entry level upgrade? This is a 914 as you've never seen it before

time-read
5 mins  |
October 2024
MOMS KNOW BEST
BBC TopGear India

MOMS KNOW BEST

Volvo's XC90 was the stereotypical Soccer Mom car. So how will the all-electric EX90 be received among the soccer pitches of Orange County?

time-read
7 mins  |
October 2024
THE THEORYOF EVOLUTION
BBC TopGear India

THE THEORYOF EVOLUTION

Ridged bladder seats, an inflating steering wheel and an AI track day coach... has Lotus hit on the supercar’s future, or gone mad’?

time-read
6 mins  |
October 2024