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FIA Formula One World Champion Max Verstappen enjoyed his first track action of 2022 in an alpine day out with Austrian ice speedway star Franky Zorn, taking to the track in the driving exhibition hosted by the GP Ice Race circuit at Zell am See Airport. Verstappen savoured being back in a race car for his first laps since winning the F1 Drivers’ Championship at Abu Dhabi in December, while Zorn popped wheelies and slung his motorcycle to extreme angles around the curves. Although he’d never driven an F1 car on ice before, the Red Bull Racing star sped through a circuit built out of ice on specially designed spiked tyres, with his helmet and race car carrying the number ‘1’ for the very first time. // Max Verstappen of the Netherlands an Franz Zorn of Austria seen during the GP Ice Race in Zell am See, Austria on January 24, 2022. // Predrag Vuckovic / Red Bull Content Pool
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FIA Formula One World Champion Max Verstappen enjoyed his first track action of 2022 in an alpine day out with Austrian ice speedway star Franky Zorn, taking to the track in the driving exhibition hosted by the GP Ice Race circuit at Zell am See Airport. Verstappen savoured being back in a race car for his first laps since winning the F1 Drivers’ Championship at Abu Dhabi in December, while Zorn popped wheelies and slung his motorcycle to extreme angles around the curves. Although he’d never driven an F1 car on ice before, the Red Bull Racing star sped through a circuit built out of ice on specially designed spiked tyres, with his helmet and race car carrying the number ‘1’ for the very first time. // Max Verstappen of the Netherlands an Franz Zorn of Austria seen during the GP Ice Race in Zell am See, Austria on January 24, 2022. // Predrag Vuckovic / Red Bull Content Pool
Red Bull and Mercedes were involved in a massive championship fight last season. The tense title race saw the relations between the teams get tested from time to time. The Austrian team recently revealed their 2022 livery and brand new title sponsorship to put forth their challenger for next season.
As expected, world champions Mercedes AMG F1 team were closely paying attention to the launch. They took to Twitter to give their hilarious take on the new RB18 ahead of the pre-season testing.
— Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team (@MercedesAMGF1) February 9, 2022
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The Brackley-based team responded with a meme from the iconic 2004 sitcom, “Drake and Josh”. In it, their sister Megan Parker (played by Miranda Cosgrove) is sitting in front of a computer with a mischievous smile and the word “interesting” subtitled.
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“We are aiming to build on what we achieved last year”: Red Bull team boss
The Austrian team won the drivers’ championship last season but missed out on the constructors’ title. With the new RB18, they would be hoping to get both titles and end the dominance of Mercedes.
Red Bull team principal Christian Horner mentioned that they would look to build on the 2021 season’s success.
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“We are aiming to build on what we achieved last year. The target is to try and retain the title, and the big unknown is, have we missed something with these regulations, has another team stolen the march because of the focus and effort that went into 2021,” said Horner.
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Max Verstappen of the Netherlands in the RB 8 and Franz Zorn of Austria on an ice racing bike perform during the GP Ice Race in Zell am See, Austria on January 24, 2022. // Predrag Vuckovic / Red Bull Content Pool
“We believe that we have a good car. RB18 is coming to life. Seeing it today is fantastic. It is a culmination of a huge effort from the team. I’m looking forward to seeing it out on the track in anger,” said the Red Bull team boss.
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It is safe to assume that just like Mercedes, Red Bull too will watch the livery launch of their rival. The Austrian team would hope that their new livery would be the best on the grid and bring home the double world championship for the first time since 2013.
READ MORE: Why Do Mercedes Dominate F1?
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