Think Formula 1 (F1) drivers and you’d picture men in racing suits whizzing down a track at high speed. The last thing anyone would imagine is the likes of Redbull’s Max Verstappen and Sergio Pérez racing cleaning machines at Jewel Changi Airport.
But that was exactly what happened on Thursday (14 Sep).
Ditching their sleek formula racing cars, Verstappen and Pérez showed off their skills on the much slower motorised cleaning carts.
On 14 Sep, the two Formula 1 drivers took part in an unconventional race to clean up Jewel Changi Airport — or at least a small part of it.
Verstappen and Pérez didn’t take the race lightly though, showing up in their full gear to take on the challenge.
Image courtesy of Oracle Red Bull.
The race kicked off with a qualifying sprint race for pole position.
After a rocky start where he reversed his cleaning cart instead of moving forward, Verstappen came out tops due to Pérez illegal shortcut.
Source: Oracle Red Bull Racing on YouTube
The duo then took on the main circuit, a winding route through three “dirty zones” where they’re tasked to pick up as much dirt as possible.
With Verstappen in pole position, he expertly manoeuvred the cart ahead of Pérez on the narrow pathways through some foliage.
The two drivers had some close calls though — the pair nearly collided twice on the footpaths.
Source: Oracle Red Bull Racing on YouTube
However, being the professionals that they are, they avoided any incidents with their quick reflexes.
The two then made it to the pit stop where they emptied the dirt and grime from their carts.
Verstappen left the pit stop first, making it a comfortable win for the Belgian-Dutch driver.
Source: Oracle Red Bull Racing on YouTube
Despite his loss, Pérez exclaimed that the race was great though he was shocked by the cleaning carts at first.
Meanwhile, Verstappen wasn’t surprised by his team’s antics.
“At this stage, being with the team, I’m quite used to it,” he said. “They come up with quite a lot of things so this was another one”.
The race at Jewel Changi Airport was just a ‘side-quest’ for the two drivers, who are in town for the Formula 1 Night Race on Sunday (17 Sep).
Speaking about the race ahead of time, Max Verstappen expects a challenging race due to the warm climate here.
Image courtesy of Oracle Red Bull.
Despite calling it one of the toughest races on the calendar, Verstappen said that it’s always good to be in Singapore.
“It’s an incredible track and the fact that it’s a night race makes it even more special.”
His teammate Pérez also concurred, saying that the team will just have to deliver despite the difficult track.
“I look forward to it, and hopefully we are able to have a tremendous race.”
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Featured image courtesy of Oracle Red Bull and Oracle Red Bull Racing on YouTube.
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