Isack Hadjar, who joined four-time champion Max Verstappen at Red Bull this year, has taken on a rally-raid challenge in the Ford Raptor T1+.
The Red Bull Formula 1 driver was first taken around the desert track by rally-raid driver Mitch Guthrie Jr, before having a go behind the wheel himself, with the challenge of setting a time within 15 seconds of that set by the professional within five laps.
"I think you're about to find out how brutal desert rally can really be. Good luck, mate," Guthrie Jr warned Hadjar.
After sitting in the passenger seat as Guthrie Jr ripped apart the 4km desert track with jumps, a 12-metre cliff and climbs, it was Hadjar's turn. With 3m16s as the time to get within 15 seconds of, he managed a time of 4m20s on his first trip around the course. With roughly a minute to find, he continued. The second lap resulted in a 4m18s despite running deep at one of the turns and having to restart the car.
"I rarely have this much fun," Hadjar said, before later adding: "[Doing a jump in the car is the] best thing ever. To be fair, this car gives you so much confidence."
By the end of the practice laps, Hadjar was just three seconds off Guthrie Jr's time with 3m19s. Out for one final run, Hadjar closed the gap by another second and finished the day with a time of 3m18s. "Oh, honestly, mate, I could do that all day," he said with a smile.
This comes ahead of Hadjar's first F1 season with Red Bull. He secured the seat alongside Verstappen after impressing during his rookie season, finishing 12th in the drivers' standings with 51 points and celebrating his first F1 podium finish at the Dutch Grand Prix.
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