WATCH | Tsunoda trumps Verstappen after putting 'a bit of water into his engine'

Max Verstappen and Yuki Tsunoda heralded the 2023 Austrian Grand Prix in a different way, taking to a quarry in two mega trucks.

The two Formula 1 drivers, representing Red Bull Racing and AlphaTauri, respectively, joined the marketing team at the Erzberg mine. The task was simple: race around the quarry on a makeshift track that mimics parts of the Red Bull Ring where this weekend's race will be staged.

Tsunoda 'qualified' first but was trumped by Verstappen, whose lap was three seconds quicker. However, in the race, Tsunoda launched off the line and into the lead. Verstappen, meanwhile, suffered a misfire on his mega truck and limped home in second place.

Tsunoda reflected on his strategy, saying: "Max's strong qualifying round was a wake-up call for me to dig deep.

"I had a good start and used my momentum to the end. Unfortunately, he had a bit of misfiring. Well, actually, I put a bit of water into his engine, but don't tell anyone!" quipped Yuki. "That strategy worked, and I wanted to defend my first place from the first (Un)Serious Race Series with Daniel."

At the Miami GP earlier this year, Tsunoda bested Red Bull's third driver, Daniel Ricciardo, in a mini jet boat race, taking two victories from two outings in Red Bull's (Un)Serious Race Series.

A good race venue

The F1 circus heads to Spielberg this coming weekend (30 June - 2 July) for Round 10 of the 2023 season, staged at the Red Bull Ring. Last year, Verstappen was trumped by Ferrari's Charles Leclerc, but the tables have turned 12 months later.

Verstappen, in the form of his life, won the last three Grands Prix and is poised to take his seventh of the season and fifth in succession.

READ: F1 heads to Austria: What you should know about the technical Red Bull