SINGAPORE - When Formula One drivers Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen visited Singapore last year, the Red Bull Racing duo were tasked with opening a durian using everyday tools including a screwdriver, mini saw and a rubber chicken.

This year, the Bulls, who are in town for the Singapore Airlines Singapore Grand Prix, were given a treat - the country's famous chilli crab - on Saturday (Sept 15).

Only this time, they had to figure out how to crack the shell to get to the sweet, juicy crab meat - all while the shell is coated in the sweet-spicy gravy.

The pair, who undertook the challenge at Monti along Marina Bay, had mixed reactions.

Australian Ricciardo clearly relished the challenge, proclaiming that he was "born ready" when Verstappen asked him if he was ready to begin the contest.

The Perth native, a big fan of Singaporean cuisine, was the picture of excitement, exclaiming "wow, this looks actually really nice" when the two huge crabs were served to them.

He dug in enthusiastically, at times using a pick to fish out the crab flesh and even a mallet to break the shell, and "getting it all over my shorts".

Dutchman Verstappen, on the other hand, needed far more persuasion to get going and could be heard saying, "I'm literally going to puke" when Ricciardo offered him a tasty morsel.

Ricciardo won the challenge - "I got 127 grams" - and probably won over a fair few local fans for his sporting nature too.