Saturday December 10 was a massive day in Milton Keynes. 60,000 people turned out for the Red Bull Racing extravaganza where world championship driver Sebastian Vettel and his teammate Mark Webber were able to drive their F1 cars through the streets of central Milton Keynes. Red Bull Racing team principal Christian Horner also took part in celebrating his team’s performance in the 2011 F1 season. Luckily they didn’t need a pit stop for service as they only had to drive the cars a couple of miles!
The show took place along Midsummer Boulevard between The Center MK and the city’s train station. The F1 drivers were also joined by David Coulthard in a Nascar Showcar and stuntman Chris Pfeiffer thrilled the fans with some two-wheeled bike tricks. The event was broadcast to eagerly awaiting fans on giant screens, with Jake Humphrey conducting commentary and interviewing the hosts, management team, and lulling crowd. Fans were given Vettel fingers and Webber kangaroos to help them cheer on his favourite. Even on a freezing December afternoon, everyone had a great time being entertained.
Red Bull has had an absolutely excellent season, not only have they won the Constructors’ Championship, Sebastian was the Drivers’ Championship winner. However, Mark Webber is no stranger to the podium and took first place at the Brazilian Grand Prix. He has spent the last ten years competing on the world’s circuits and was fourth in the drivers’ standings in 2011. 2011 was definitely Sebastian’s year though, with a staggering 11 wins from 19 races. With the Red Bull team producing record-breaking pit stops throughout the season, let’s hope they didn’t have to replace their brakes in Milton Keynes with all the drifting they were doing during their show!
Red Bull’s headquarters are located in Tilbrook, Milton Keynes. Although Red Bull racing has been around since 2005, the team was previously Jaguar Racing between 2000 and 2004. Ford Motor Company bought it from Jackie Stewart. While Ford’s outlay of the team was in the millions, he didn’t really see a return on his investment as the team struggled to recreate the magic of when it was owned by Jackie Stewart. Jackie and his son Paul formed the ‘Stewart Grand Prix’ racing team in 1996 and after just three years sold the team to Ford Motor Company. Jackie Stewart, who is a three-time world champion, is now retired, but is still on TV from time to time.