Ricciardo beats Marquez in high-speed boat races

Via Cash RB driver Daniel Ricciardo beat six-time MotoGP champion Marc Marquez in a high-speed sailing race in Barcelona organized by America’s Cup team Alinghi Red Bull Racing.

Eight-time F1 race winner Daniel Ricciardo and six-time MotoGP champion Marc Márquez trade the track for sea, for a high-speed sailing race in Barcelona with America’s Cup team Alinghi Red Bull Racing.

The Australian and the Spaniard met on Thursday to flex their muscles in a very different discipline to what they are used to. The meeting took place because of the collaboration between Alinghi Red Bull Racing and Red Bull Advanced Technologies. The two parties have been working together.

Reigning world champion Max Verstappen made a visit to the Base last year, but this meeting was a step further as Marquez and Ricciardo raced the Swiss challenger’s two AC40 yachts on the America’s Cup venue. Swapping wheels for sails, Ricciardo and Márquez went head-to-head along Barcelona’s seafront for a friendly contest, feeling the adrenaline as they reached speeds of almost 90 km/h.

Both boats were quick off the start line, but ultimately the Australian driver got the upper hand, beating the Catalonian MotoGP champion on home ground. Márquez compared his experience in motorsports: “The speed is completely different. Maybe in kilometres per hour it’s slower, but the feeling of the speed was super high. When you’re in it, you don't feel like you are flying. But then I saw Daniel’s boat flying by our side, and I realised I was too. We were foiling super smoothly.”

“The way these boats are built and the structure feels a lot like the cockpit of a Formula One car,” Ricciardo commented. “They’re super sensitive with the wind, so aerodynamics has some crossover as well. It's a lot like what we do, with small movements and everything needs a lot of finesse.”

The Swiss team’s skipper Arnaud Psarofaghis was tasked with getting the two athletes up to speed before the AC40s went out. “Daniel took my seat on the boat, and followed all my directions as I sent them through from the chase boat,” Psarofaghis said. “Both Marc and Daniel were dropped in the deep end today, and they adapted really quickly. Overall, it was a super inspiring day out on the water with these guys.”