Red Bull drivers go local this weekend
World Champion Sebastian Vettel, team mate Mark Webber and Toro Rosso's new third driver Daniel Ricciardo are in their native countries this weekend, completing a number of show runs for the Red Bull Racing Formula One Team.
World Champion Sebastian Vettel was in Berlin on Saturday where he had the unique chance to turn Berlin’s June 17th Street into a temporary race track and drive a Red Bull Racing Formula One car in front of the Brandenburg Gate. The sport’s youngest-ever World Champion then completed a driver’s parade along Yitzhak-Rabin Street, aboard the Red Bull tour bus.
Happy to be able to celebrate with his fans in the German capital, Vettel said: "It was a dream come true for me today and it was great that so many people were here, even in the cold weather. It’s something very special to drive in front of the Brandenburg Gate and to leave a signature of rubber written by my slicks! You don’t get such a chance very often in life – it was a great day.”
Meanwhile, Mark Webber and Red Bull Junior driver Daniel Ricciardo were 8,500 miles away in Perth, Australia, taking part in the city’s first ever Festival of Speed.
Friday, local boy Daniel kicked off proceedings with a show run along Riverside Drive, it was the first time the young Aussie had completed a demo for the team.
Ricciardo said: “It was one of the coolest Friday’s of my life. I recognised a lot of people and think around 80% of the crowd was a family member or friend! I was almost as nervous before the show run as before a race; there’s pressure, as if you make a mistake you can look silly, but as soon the engine fired up and I got my helmet on I felt right back at home; it was cool.”
Mark arrived in Australia Saturday afternoon and both he and Daniel took part in a press conference, ahead of tomorrow’s Festival of Speed at Wanneroo Raceway. They will both drive the Red Bull Racing show car at tomorrow’s event, which will also be attended by Alan Jones and Geoff Brabham.
Webber said today: “It’s awesome to be back in Australia and it’s great to get a Formula One car to this part of the country. I raced at the Wanneroo Raceway in 1994 – it’s always been part of the racing scene here and I’m looking forward to driving the car there tomorrow. It wasn’t a five minute job to get an event like this arranged, so well done to everyone involved. Red Bull’s doing a lot this weekend; I’m out here with Dan and Sebastian’s in Berlin. Red Bull Racing’s a small team, but it achieves big things – we’re doing some cool things this weekend and it’s good to be part of it.”
Daniel added: “It’s been a while since I went around the Wanneroo Raceway – but I have some track knowledge from when I drove there in Formula Ford. I love any chance to drive the Formula One car and it’s great to be able to show a crowd what the car can do. It’s particularly great to be driving the car knowing now that I will be the Friday driver for Scuderia Toro Rosso next year. This year it was great to go to most of the tracks as reserve driver with Red Bull, but going to them now, knowing that I will drive each weekend, is really great news. I’m very excited about it.”
While Mark and Daniel are at Wanneroo Raceway on Sunday, Sebastian Vettel will be taking part in the 2010 Race of Champions in Düsseldorf.
