A Formula 1 car driving through a metro tunnel in Madrid: it sounds like a scene from a movie, but Red Bull Racing made it a reality. The RB8 was converted into a demonstration car for the Spanish GP to run on rails.
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Former F1 driver Patrick Friesacher took the wheel and suddenly a Red Bull car was driving through a closed section of the Madrid metro. The remarkable stunt marks the return of the Spanish Grand Prix to Madrid. Red Bull Racing took the RB8, the car with which the team won two world titles, to the new Madring circuit and then had the car enter the metro there.
F1 car gets metal wheels
The conversion of a Formula 1 car into a vehicle that can run on railway tracks was, according to Red Bull, a technical challenge never before undertaken. Red Bull Racing’s Heritage Team collaborated on the project with the Spanish engineering and creative collective Andtonic.
Special metal wheels were designed and produced specifically for the RB8. They weigh 29.8 kilograms each, twice as much as a standard F1 wheel. The modified car was thus able to actually run on the rails of the Madrid metro.
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Friesacher, former teammate of Christijan Albers at Mindardi and now active as a show run driver for Red Bull, was amazed by the special adventure afterwards. “It was an incredible experience. I have already experienced a lot with our Heritage team, but driving an F1 car on railway tracks is surreal. Cool to be able to add the role ‘metro driver’ to my CV.”
Metro station at new circuit
The metro also plays a role in the future Madrid Grand Prix. The Madring will have a new metro station within the circuit complex. As a result, a very large part of the visitors will travel underground to the circuit for the first Grand Prix on Madrid asphalt since 1981.
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Read all about the Spanish GP here
