Formula 1 world champion Max Verstappen is known for his fearless driving and unrelenting speed on the track, but a recently shared story from a former Red Bull Racing mechanic reveals the Dutch driver’s playful side can be just as nerve-wracking off the circuit. Calum Nicholas, a former Red Bull mechanic, recounted a hilarious yet tense moment when he found himself behind the wheel with Verstappen as his passenger during a pre-season filming day at Silverstone.
In a nostalgic Instagram post, Nicholas detailed the incident that took place a couple of years ago during Red Bull’s routine pre-season preparations. With the team gearing up for the first laps of the season, the wet and chilly conditions at Silverstone set the stage for an unexpected adventure. Verstappen’s race engineer, Gianpiero Lambiase, requested a reconnaissance lap around the iconic circuit, and Nicholas volunteered to drive the trio—himself, Verstappen, and Lambiase—in a road car.
As Nicholas took the wheel, Verstappen hopped into the passenger seat, with Lambiase settled in the back. Determined to keep things safe, Nicholas maintained a moderate pace, but Verstappen had other ideas. “Max kept saying I should go faster,” Nicholas recalled, while Lambiase, ever the voice of reason, cautioned, “That’s enough, Calum.”
The tension peaked as they approached the notoriously challenging Maggots and Becketts corners. Verstappen, with his trademark confidence, couldn’t resist teasing his driver. “It’s flat for it here,” he quipped, urging Nicholas to push the car to its limits. Unfazed but well aware of his own limits, Nicholas shot back with a candid, “Mate, it is not! And I ain’t got the balls for that.”
The lighthearted exchange perfectly captured Verstappen’s mischievous camaraderie and Nicholas’s pragmatic approach to handling the three-time world champion’s encouragement. Thankfully, the lap concluded without incident, much to Nicholas’s relief. “We all made it around safely, which is good,” he said, jokingly adding that he was glad to avoid a difficult conversation with the team’s health and safety department about injuring a “pretty key member of the team” before the season even began.
To top off the anecdote, Nicholas noted that the car’s fuel situation was also a close call, but he managed to reach a petrol station just in time. The story, shared via GPBlog, is one of many that highlight the strong bonds and memorable moments within the Red Bull Racing team, showcasing the lighter side of life in the high-pressure world of Formula 1.
Verstappen, a Red Bull driver since 2016, continues to dominate the sport with his on-track prowess, but stories like these remind fans of the humor and teamwork that fuel the team’s success behind the scenes.
