Automotive

Video: F1 drivers battle it out in Aston Martins ... towing caravans

Video: F1 drivers battle it out in Aston Martins ... towing caravans
Verstappen takes a corner
Verstappen takes a corner
View 12 Images
The trailers may have been stripped and slicked, but they weren't built up to track racing spec
1/12
The trailers may have been stripped and slicked, but they weren't built up to track racing spec
Aston Martin Vanquish Volantes with trailers to match
2/12
Aston Martin Vanquish Volantes with trailers to match
Max Verstappen seemed to thoroughly enjoy his time hauling caravan
3/12
Max Verstappen seemed to thoroughly enjoy his time hauling caravan
A very different kind of Red Bull race
4/12
A very different kind of Red Bull race
A little grilling and relaxing at camp before the big showdown
5/12
A little grilling and relaxing at camp before the big showdown
The trailers performed admirably at slower speeds but started to tip and rattle later on
6/12
The trailers performed admirably at slower speeds but started to tip and rattle later on
Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen warm up for July's Austrian Grand Prix
7/12
Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen warm up for July's Austrian Grand Prix
A little grilling and relaxing at camp before the big showdown
8/12
A little grilling and relaxing at camp before the big showdown
Who says you can't race where you live
9/12
Who says you can't race where you live
Daniel Ricciardo's rig
10/12
Daniel Ricciardo's rig
Verstappen takes a corner
11/12
Verstappen takes a corner
A neck-and-neck race!
12/12
A neck-and-neck race!
View gallery - 12 images

Red Bull and Aston Martin have gone together like caviar and champagne (or steak and ale, if you prefer) of late, and that continued on the racetrack earlier this month. Preparing for the upcoming Austrian Grand Prix, Red Bull Racing teammates Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen had an unusual warmup race. They took to the Red Bull Ring to race a pair of Aston Martin Vanquish convertibles ... with camping trailers in tow. Naturally, the race car drivers pushed (or, we suppose, pulled) the caravans to the limit ... and well beyond.

With just over a month to go before the Austrian Grand Prix comes to the Red Bull Ring in Spielberg, Red Bull is hyping the race in a big way with its oddball video.

Before lining up on the track, each driver's Aston Martin Vanquish Volante was hitched to a specially prepared caravan that had been stripped, shod in Pirelli racing slicks and brushed in Red Bull livery to match its speedy tow car. Verstappen stepped inside a 595-hp Vanquish S Volante hitched up to a charcoal and orange #33 caravan, and Ricciardo grabbed the wheel of a 565-hp Vanquish Volante pulling a charcoal and blue #3 caravan. Each caravan added roughly 880 lb (400 kg) behind the bumper.

A neck-and-neck race!
A neck-and-neck race!

The ensuing race wasn't exactly a hard-contested nail biter, and we'd say both Verstappen and Ricciardo came out winners, quite clearly having a blast seeing how much abuse the trailers would take before disintegrating.

"I wasn't sure if it would be very controlled and just for the 'glamour shots' or if we could really have some fun," said Ricciardo. "Fortunately, we got to have some fun."

Each caravan turned and snaked admirably at first, one-wheeling through corners before the rigors of F1-style track driving eventually ripped body from trailer bed.

The trailers may have been stripped and slicked, but they weren't built up to track racing spec
The trailers may have been stripped and slicked, but they weren't built up to track racing spec

"We were pretty sure that we were going to crash [the caravans]," Verstappen recalled. It wasn't on purpose, but then I started drifting the car a bit and I could see in the mirror that the caravan was on one wheel!"

Needless to say, both Verstappen and Ricciardo had to find alternative overnight accommodations that evening.

There's not much else to break down about this particular race day, but you'll definitely want to watch the video.

A Caravan Race with an F1 twist! Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen take it to the Red Bull Ring

Source: Red Bull

View gallery - 12 images
6 comments
6 comments
MattII
I don't think they ever did that one on Top Gear, not on a track anyway.
Bruce H. Anderson
Google "redneck trailer racing." Nothing new here, except the cars are fancier.
Tom Lee Mullins
I think that is dumb.
The trailers look like just shells. They did not look like real trailers when they came apart.
Reason
Yes Matt, done more than once on Top Gear to demonstrate their hatred for caravans (and caravan towing drivers).
Now if Red Bull could just give these guys a fast race car ...
CAVUMark
Excellent examples of responsibility by Red Bull.
YouAre
Had those trailers been real the results would have been less funny, much less.