It’s a rare sight, but on Thursday afternoon, Max Verstappen unexpectedly crashed his car into a wall in Zandvoort. Fortunately for him and the Red Bull Racing team, it wasn’t the RB20, but merely a virtual car in Heineken’s new Player 0.0 game.
As an ambassador for Heineken 0.0, Max Verstappen kicked off the event on Thursday, under the watchful eyes of Els Dijkhuizen (Marketing Director of Heineken Netherlands), former racer Giedo van der Garde, and host Hélène Hendriks.
Since 2023, Verstappen has been playing a role in Heineken 0.0’s campaigns as an ambassador, promoting responsible alcohol consumption. At a Heineken event at the circuit, leading up to the Dutch GP in Zandvoort, Verstappen spoke about his role model status. “The most important thing for everyone is to get home safely. If you’ve had a few drinks during a fun evening, just take a taxi,” Verstappen said.
‘Max Verstappen’s Commitment Helps Immensely’
Evert-Jan Hulshof, director of Safe Traffic Netherlands, emphasized his happiness with Verstappen’s involvement and commitment. “Young adults are traditionally a difficult group for us to reach. It helps immensely when a sports hero like Max Verstappen speaks out so strongly against alcohol in traffic,” said Hulshof, formerly the general director of the tennis federation (KNLTB).
The Heineken meeting concluded with the introduction of the new 0.0 game by Verstappen, who managed to keep the car on the track surprisingly long with his thumb on an iPad, but eventually crashed. This brought amusement to Giedo van der Garde, who watched but fell faster himself shortly after.
Player 0.0 is part of the When You Drive Never Drink campaign that Heineken launches worldwide around F1 races. The Player 0.0 competition is a playful, yet serious call to drive safely. The game can be played from today via a special site from Heineken.
See the video below:
