Before their Formula 1 weekend in Las Vegas, Max Verstappen and Yuki Tsunoda had the opportunity to test other cars from the Honda group. Interested in endurance racing, the Dutchman took a few laps in an LMDh, used in IMSA, while the Japanese driver took the wheel of an Indycar.
As he could be crowned Formula 1 world champion for the fourth time on Sunday in Las Vegas, Max Verstappen treated himself to a pleasant diversion 300 km south of Sin City. To mark the closer ties between its global (based in Japan) and American sports entities, Honda had organized a large gathering at the Thermal Race Track Club, a very private club with its vast track that has already hosted a non-championship Indycar race.
On the driver’s side, the four lined up in Formula 1 (Verstappen and Sergio Perez for Red Bull, Liam Lawson and Yuki Tsunoda for Racing Bulls) were present, as well as Indycar drivers including six-time champion Scott Dixon and four-time Indianapolis 500 winner Helio Castroneves, along with Logan Sargeant who was there for a “real” test and trying to rebuild his future after being dropped by Williams earlier this season.
On the car side, reigning champion Alex Palou’s Indycar was there, as well as the Acura GTP (from the LMDh regulations) of Meyer Shank Racing, lined up in IMSA, the North American Endurance Championship, plus a model that participated in the famous Pikes Peak hill climb and finally a CR-V with an Indycar engine and transmission. Each of the four F1 drivers had a few laps with one of these vehicles.
While Yuki Tsunoda took care of driving the Indycar, Max Verstappen enjoyed a little time behind the wheel of the Acura ARX-06. A natural choice for someone who often talks about his desire to do endurance racing (rather than Indycar) once his F1 career is over. The Dutchman seemed to enjoy the experience behind the wheel of the 680 horsepower prototype weighing 1,030 kg. By chance or a sign of the times and each one’s standing, Sergio Perez had to settle for testing the CR-V, the least appealing car on the grid.
