Formula One - on ice!

©RedBullContentPool

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©RedBullContentPool

Were you disappointed not to get a White Christmas this year? Then maybe this look back to the start of 2016 will fill you with festive cheer. While Formula One obviously doesn't race in snowy conditions, there was an exception of sorts in January.

Red Bull got into hot water after letting Max Verstappen take to the snow and ice on the Hahnenkamm mountain driving a 2011 championship-winning RB7 decked out in snow chains in front of 3,500 spectators who were absolutely delighted by the unique spectacle.

The local authorities weren't quite so happy with the stunt, accusing Red Bull of failing to get the necessary official approvals. But the team said that they had followed the rules and it seems the objection was quietly dropped, and in any case the thrilling images that we got out of it were definitely worth the price.

Andrew Lewin

Andrew first became a fan of Formula 1 during the time when Michael Schumacher and Damon Hill were stepping into the limelight after the era of Alain Prost, Nigel Mansell and Aryton Senna. He's been addicted ever since, and has been writing about the sport now for nearly a quarter of a century for a number of online news sites. He's also written professionally about GP2 (now Formula 2), GP3, IndyCar, World Rally Championship, MotoGP and NASCAR. In his other professional life, Andrew is a freelance writer, social media consultant, web developer/programmer, and digital specialist in the fields of accessibility, usability, IA, online communities and public sector procurement. He worked for many years in magazine production at Bauer Media, and for over a decade he was part of the digital media team at the UK government's communications department. Born and raised in Essex, Andrew currently lives and works in south-west London.