Max tries American Football: “It’s a first for me”
Published on 20 October 2017 by Niels Hendrix
Before getting down to business at the Circuit Of The Americas, both Max Verstappen and Daniel Ricciardo swapped grid for grid iron, taking part in an American Football practice session at Del Valle High School, home of the Cardinals.
Located 10 minutes from COTA, football is a serious business at Del Valle, with a stadium that seats around 7,500 people. Max and Daniel were kitted out in bespoke Red Bull Racing gear and went through a full two hours of practice as the sun went down over Austin. They warmed up with high kicks before moving on to field goal attempts, evasion drills, throwing and receiving – all encouraged by some highly energetic cheerleading.
For Max the experience was a step into the unknown – though he did manage to outshine his team-mate and kick a field goal. “Well, yeah, it’s a first for me – in Holland we’re more famous for soccer – but it was a cool experience, and interesting to play with an egg-shaped ball. There was a real feeling of team spirit, and that’s always good. It’s very different to what we do in F1 – but like us they have to work together to get a result and that’s no different.”
