WATCH: F1 Dancing on Ice as champ Max Verstappen takes on Speedway star
Max Verstappen prepares for the defence of his F1 World Championship title by taking on two-wheel Speedway star Franky Zorn... on ice
The 2022 F1 World Championship will usher in a new era for the historic sport when it undergoes an overhaul of its technical regulations, which make the cars appear more streamlined and aggressively designed in order to make them more difficult to drive and put greater emphasis on driver skill.
It’s an approach that has served motorcycle racing well over the years, with riders often backwards in coming forwards as they display their expert bike control while - literally - sitting right on the limit.
We won’t wade into the F1 vs MotoGP debate for whether drivers or riders are more skilled, but newly-crowned F1 World Champion Max Verstappen certainly demonstrates some impressive car control as he squared up to an Ice Speedway star during a Red Bull-sponsored media stunt in Austria this week.
The Dutchman took to the GP Ice Circuit at Zell am See Airport to spin some laps in his spike studded-tyre Red Bull - complete with the #1 plate he will wear during the 2022 F1 season - alongside European Ice Racing champion Franky Zorn, who slung his adapted Speedway bike around the RB8.
Though Verstappen has previously driven an F1 car on snow, this was his first time sliding on ice.
“This was my first time on the ice with a Formula One car and I’ve been really looking forward to it. It was very interesting and it’s quite slippery, so you have to be careful.
“Everything is very cold, including the brakes, and racing cars are obviously not designed to drive on the ice, which makes it even more difficult, but it was a lot of fun.”
