While in Australia for the Formula One Grand Prix, Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu were encouraged to practice drifting.
The two Formula One drivers participated in three tasks, demonstrating why they race in motorsport’s top tier competition.
In fact, they were so good that their instructor said, “You absolutely killed it on level one.”
To not only be fast but also excel in a Formula One car, drivers must acquire the discipline of keeping perfect control in order to avoid sliding at all costs. Can these elite athletes be trained to use the same accuracy in a new pursuit—one that favors falling sideways over going fast?
Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber decided to find out by putting its drivers, Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu, behind the wheel of two drift cars in a new film. The drivers were asked to test out these remarkable machines while in Australia for the Grand Prix.
Read: Stellantis Design Boss Ralph Gilles Shows He Can Drift and Draw
While it’s not surprising that skilled drivers perform well even when they’re not driving their preferred vehicles, it’s astonishing that Bottas and Zhou took to drifting like ducks to water.
Given the opportunity to attempt three drifting strategies, both F1 pilots performed admirably. In the first assignment, they were charged with making donuts, and their ease surprised even their instructor.
“I didn’t actually see that coming,” the instructor tells Bottas and Zhou. “You both absolutely killed it on level one.” “Hats off!”
The second task requires the driver to push off from a stop, slide to face the opposite direction, and then perform another 180-degree drift into a parking slot. Bottas is so confident that he doesn’t even ask for a demonstration and instead decides to give it a shot.
Although he falls short of the parking place on his first effort, he nails it on his second try, and even the host can’t contain his joy. Zhou also makes it to the spot on his second try, albeit he overcooks it and ends up a touch off.
Finally, the two Formula One pilots proceed to a legitimate circuit and are instructed to conduct a second-gear drift into a wall of crates. While the impact sends Bottas spinning, Zhou maintains his momentum and continues to slide around the track despite his windshield being covered in green chalk. It’s a fantastic performance from both drivers, demonstrating that automobile control is a crucial ability no matter what you wish to do.
