They say, "all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy." Well, with the Dutch Grand Prix a few days away, Formula 1 drivers Yuki Tsunoda and Max Verstappen decided to have a light moment racing backward in DAF Variomatic cars at Circuit Zandvoort in the Netherlands.
Posted on Red Bull's YouTube channel, the two F1 drivers took up an unconventional challenge, reverse-racing DAF Variomatic saloon cars perhaps to take off the edge of what awaits them over the weekend.
The DAF Variomatic is a tiny family car produced by DAF between 1959 and 1963. It was the automaker's first production passenger car and the first production car (after the 1920 Clyno) to come with a CVT (continuous variable transmission) system.
Since it was the first time either of the Formula 1 drivers had attempted this race, they took a few minutes to learn the game's rules from Red Bull's host, Stephane Kox.
"Rules are very simple. Do not cut corners, and don't skip the obstacles, because if you do, you can get penalized," Kox explained.
There's a good reason Red Bull chose this classic car for the challenge. The DAF Variomatic cars are famous for being able to drive fast in reverse as they drive forward. This tiny classic passenger car can speed up to 120 kph (78 mph) in reverse.
For the qualifying lap, the drivers had to go through a few obstacles to get to the finish line. Tsunoda's lap showed a reverse race isn't as easy as you'd think – he dinged the vehicle's rear before the first obstacle. Verstappen was more careful around the obstacles and finished without a hitch.
"It's quite hard because as soon as you want to speed up, the car just goes like that," he complained.
The final challenge was a head-to-head reverse race. Tsunoda had mastered the art of reverse racing (he's a professional F1 driver, after all) and managed to complete the race without dinging the car.
He couldn't keep up with Verstappen, though. As a result, he came in second.
Humphrey is a car enthusiast whose love and passion for automobiles extended into collecting, writing, driving, and working on cars. He got his passion for cars from his Dad, who spent thousands of hours working on his old junky 1970 E20 Toyota Corolla. Years later, he would end up doing the same with a series of lemons he’s owned throughout his adult life. Full profile
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