Yuki Tsunoda crashes in ‘joke’ charity ski competition Red Bull ‘told him to enter’

Alex Gassman

Yuki Tsunoda took part in a huge ski and snowboard competition recently at the request of his bosses at Red Bull, but things didn’t go to plan.

The charity event was also attended by ex-Formula 1 champion Sebastian Vettel and ex-F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone.

This year’s FIS Ski World Cup was held at Kitzbuhel in Austria and attracted some big names, including Racing Bulls Formula 1 driver Yuki Tsunoda and ex-champ Sebastian Vettel. 

Vettel has been exploring different avenues inside motor racing and away from the sport after retiring from Formula 1 in 2022. The German driver won the world championship four times in a row during an incredibly successful stint with Red Bull. 

Since leaving F1 in particular, the 37-year-old has been keenly interested in the environment. He has helped to build two bee hotels in Austria and at the Suzuka circuit in Japan.

He hasn’t competed in a motorsport event since his final Formula 1 start at the 2022 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, but Vettel has tested the Porsche 963 Hypercar.

Vettel skiing

Alongside motorsport, Vettel has been competing on the snow and ice of the ski slopes at the Audi FIS Ski World Cup.

The Alpine Ski World Cup had its inaugural event in the 1966/67 season in Portillo, Chile, and the initial World Cup race was held in West Germany the following year.

Vettel attended the event at Kitzbuehel this year and competed in the Kitz Charity Trophy. The event raised 310,000 Euros for mountain farmers from North, East, and South Tyrol. The Kitz Charity Trophy has been a success and has been able to collect 3.1 million Euros since its inception in 1998.

There were a significant number of Formula 1 legends in Austria, including Gerhard Berger and Jean Alesi, who both won races in the 1990s, as well as ex-F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone.

The former F1 supremo Ecclestone was the race director for the ski event and told Austrian broadcaster ORF: “As race director, I’m lenient when it comes to rolling the dice, but otherwise, I dont tolerate any cheating.”

Skis were widely used, but snowboards, which Tsunoda utilised, and toboggans were also available, as 23 teams participated in the event.

Each competitor was allowed to decide what equipment they would use in the event, and adding snowboards and toboggans gave a touch of flair to the Kitz Charity Trophy.

The event occurred on the finishing slope of the Streif, a shorter version of the Hahnenkamm downhill course. The trios had to tackle the slalom before rolling a die at the end. Each run time was multiplied by the number rolled, which equates to the highest prize available with a one and a tumble if a six was given.

Tsunoda, Vettel and all the other competitors wanted to win, but their main focus was on raising money for the mountain farmers in Austria.

Team A1, consisting of Hannes Reichelt, Thomas Arnoldner, and Martin Resel, won this year, while Vettel had fun during the Skiing event.

The German said: “I enjoyed it. It’s a very nice feeling every time you do something good because a lot of goodness comes back [to you], so… I think that it’s not just giving in one direction but also a great feeling for yourself and… yes, of course for everyone who benefits from it.”

Tsunoda echoed his former rivals’ sentiments despite feeling a few nerves ahead of the charity race in Austria. And those nerves weren’t misplaced; at the end of one of Yuki’s slalom runs he found himself sitting flat on the ice after taking a hard tumble on his snowboard just as he crossed the finishing line.

He added: “To be honest, when my bosses told me to take part, I thought it was a joke. Five minutes ago, I realised they were being serious. I was a bit nervous, but I enjoyed it.”

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Alex Gassman

I‘m Alex. I write F1 and motorsport travel guides based on my experience as racing driver and full-time motorsport nerd. I’ve traveled the world watching F1 and other racing series.

I started oversteer48 with the aim of helping other motorsport fans who are planning on watching some racing themselves.

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