Daniel Ricciardo drifts in Melbourne

Daniel Ricciardo of Australia and Red Bull Racing drifts on the circuit with drifting superstar Mad Mike during previews ahead of the Australian Formula One Grand Prix at Albert Park on March 21, 2018, in Melbourne, Australia.

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Daniel Ricciardo took a decidedly sideways view of his home Grand Prix preparations, blasting his way around Melbourne’s Grand Prix circuit alongside drifting legend ‘Mad’ Mike Whiddett.

“It was kind of cool!” said Daniel after his first-hand lesson in letting it all hang out from one of drifting’s biggest stars. “Because there is a lot of right-left and left-right combinations you can actually join the drifts pretty well through a lot of the corners. I feel like a lot of the track is built for drifting! It was sick, a lot of fun,” he added.

It was completely different to our aim which is getting around as fast as you can, but we still got around pretty quick sideways.

Daniel Ricciardo`

Red Bull Racing Driver

For ‘Mad’ Mike the session was a unique opportunity to showcase his skills at the wheel in front of the sternest critics in the business.

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA – MARCH 21: Daniel Ricciardo of Australia and Red Bull Racing with drifiting superstar Mad Mike during previews ahead of the Australian Formula One Grand Prix at Albert Park on March 21, 2018 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images) // Getty Images / Red Bull Content Pool // SI201803210143 // Usage for editorial use only //

“This track is so gnarly, it’s so fast! It was an honour to bring drifting here and have the F1 teams be amazed, and to be respected in that manner was really cool,” said the Kiwi. “It’s such a different discipline of driving. With drifting, it’s explosive, it’s scary; it’s fun. It’s intensified so much because it’s judged and you’ve got three or four corners so one little mistake and you’re back on the trailer.

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA – MARCH 21: Daniel Ricciardo of Australia and Red Bull Racing drifts on the circuit with drifiting superstar Mad Mike during previews ahead of the Australian Formula One Grand Prix at Albert Park on March 21, 2018 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Clive Mason/Getty Images) // Getty Images / Red Bull Content Pool // SI201803210149 // Usage for editorial use only //

Now entering his eighth season of the FIA FORMULA ONE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP, Ricciardo has completed countless laps of the course in Melbourne however this is the first time he has been given such a sideways outlook of the course. This time, the Aston Martin Red Bull Racing star had to relinquish the controls and strap into the passenger seat and just sit back and enjoy the ride.

Whiddett, on the other hand, is very much at home in a vehicle sliding sideways around a racetrack. ‘Mad’ Mike had just one lap of the circuit to get a feel for the course before he was joined by Ricciardo for his track preview.

Mad Mike Whiddett poses for a portrait at Albert Park in Melbourne, Australia on March 21, 2018 // Graeme Murray/Red Bull Content Pool // SI201803210139 // Usage for editorial use only //