Drivers at this weekend’s Canadian Grand Prix will hit top speeds in excess of 185 mph but for the drivers of Red Bull Racing and Scuderia Toro Rosso, they have fine-tuned their preparations with rapids of another kind.
Negotiating the rapids
Daniel Ricciardo, Max Verstappen, Daniil Kvyat and Carlos Sainz all took to white water rafts on the mighty St Lawrence River ahead of the race weekend in Canada. Guided by two residents of the city: four-time Olympic medal-winning speed skater Charles Hamelin as well as Sebastien Toutant, a Winter X-Games gold medallist, the racing quartet managed to steer clear of danger for the most part.
Ricciardo posted this video up on his Instagram account of the guys tackling the chopping waters.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BVDsyxSgUYp/
Their reactions
For Verstappen, it was a complete first. The Dutchman told Red Bull:
I’ve seen it on TV but I’ve never thought about it really and you don’t know how stable the boat is until you hit the first one but wow! Great fun.
Teammate and fellow novice Ricciardo added:
It was fun, all of us in this cool, inflatable boat, going through some rapids. I’ve never experienced that and I loved it. I’m not the most comfortable person on water but I felt safe out there and, yeah, I would happily do it again.
The group started their voyage on water at LaSalle, running through the Lachine Rapids before coming to rest just shy of Ile Notre-Dame and the venue of this weekend’s race, the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.
And while they may have got a little wet, it looks likely to be their last soaking of the weekend, with the forecast for an often rain-hampered race—and one of the best on the calendar—looking decidedly dry at present.
Featured image of Red Bull Racing and Toro Rosso racers white water rafting. Photo: Dan Istitene/Getty Images
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