Video: Max Verstappen and Alex Albon duel in the desert

Fun and games in the desert

Before getting down to the business of the season finale at Yas Marina, Aston Martin Red Bull Racing drivers Alex Albon and Max Verstappen took advantage of their surroundings on Wednesday, heading into the Dubai desert to sample a rather different kind of racing machine; a Honda dune buggy.

Arriving in style in an Aston Martin DBX, the drivers were soon rather more hot and sweaty, jumping dunes and doing donuts in their Honda Talon 1000X. While Max had sampled similar kit before, this was Alex’s first foray into off-roading. Fortunately, Red Bull athlete Mohammed Balooshi, motocross and desert rally rider, was on hand to deliver a few pointers.

While both drivers were reluctant to hand back the buggy keys, neither seemed particularly keen on being in the passenger seat, with Alex confessing that the experience was much, much worse than being a passenger on a hot lap of a race track. “It was good fun. It’s a very different feeling because it’s not like a circuit. On a circuit you know where the person is going to be going, in a buggy, one time Max is going on the right over a jump, the next time he’s half way on top of a dune and you don’t know which way we’re going to drift off to. I wasn’t used to that." Looking back on his first year in F1, Alex said: “For me, it’s been a good year. I’m excited for next season and of course it’s never something I thought would happen. It’s been an amazing 12 months."

Dusting off the sand from his helmet, Max commented: “It was great going out on the buggies again and doing things like this and camel polo is very Red Bull and something I really enjoy. It’s always great to try new things and we are lucky to get that opportunity with the Team."

Reflecting on the season and the Team’s first year with Honda power, Max added: “From my side, I think it’s been a pretty good year. Three victories and quite a few podiums is always good, but as a Team and myself, we always want more so we are already looking ahead to next year where hopefully we can challenge for the championship."