With the smell of burnt rubber thick in the air, thousands gathered along Pennsylvania Avenue for the Red Bull Showrun D.C. to watch Red Bull’s fleet of motorsports cars fly down the road April 20.
The free event featured a Ford GT3 demo followed by a Subaru Rally Car run with professional driver Scott Speed and a stunt bike show with street freestyle motorcyclist Aaron Colton. The afternoon concluded with a drive by Formula One (F1) legend David Coulthard in Red Bull Racing’s 2011 championship car, the RB7.
Coulthard, the winner of 13 Formula One Grand Prixes throughout his career, said he was glad to have had the opportunity to race through the heart of Washington, D.C.
“The best part of the Red Bull Showrun is being able to bring Formula One to some fans that have already seen it, but more importantly to fans who have never seen it before,” Coulthard said after the event. “Pennsylvania Avenue from the cockpit looked wonderful, and it’s been a great privilege to drive the F1 car down this iconic street.”
F1 driver Sebastian Vettel drove the RB7 to four consecutive World Championship titles from 2010 to 2013. Claire McDowell (CAS ’27), who attended the event, said she was especially excited to be among other F1 fans.
“Seeing Sebastian Vettel’s championship-winning RB7 was an incredible experience,” McDowell wrote to The Hoya. “I loved getting to hear a V8 engine in person. It was neat being in the same place as so many other F1 fans.”
F1 is one of the fastest-growing sports in the world, and the showruns organized by Red Bull Racing in various United States and international cities are designed to bring exposure to the high-speed racing series. This was Red Bull’s first iteration of the event in D.C., with more than 50,000 fans attending the event.
A fan fest, complete with an F1 simulator and a close-up look at the vehicles, preceded the afternoon of motorsport action Friday at Union Market.
John Schwendinger (SFS ’26) credited the Red Bull Showrun, which he attended, for giving D.C.-Maryland-Virginia (DMV) fans the opportunity to watch an F1 race live.
“As Formula One continues to become more popular, I loved that Red Bull gave DMV fans a chance to attend an event without traveling to Miami, Austin or Las Vegas for one of the three Grand Prix in the U.S.,” Schwendinger wrote to The Hoya.
“I enjoy watching the races, but being able to experience the cars and meet other fans in person was a very unique experience,” Schwendinger added. “It was a must-see for any F1 fan in the area, and I hope the other teams can learn from Red Bull and begin planning similar events.”
Hans Guenther (SFS ’26), who watched the Red Bull Showrun live, said he enjoyed the opportunity to watch a mock race in person.
“I thought the event was awesome, with no F1 races near D.C., the Red Bull showrun was a great way to see (and hear) an F1 in person without any large cost or effort,” Guenther wrote to The Hoya.
Traditionally a sport associated with Europe, F1 has seen its popularity rise in the United States thanks to the advent of the “Circuit of the Americas” in 2012, which has brought competitive racing to Austin, Texas, Miami, Fla., and Las Vegas, Nev. In addition, the hit Netflix docuseries “Drive to Survive,” which debuted in 2019 and provides viewers with a personal, behind-the-scenes look into F1, has attracted many fans to the sport.
Guenther added that “Drive to Survive” was one of the reasons he was drawn to F1.
“Drive to Survive and an F1 fantasy league with friends drew me to F1 three, four years ago and I’ve been a fan since then,” Guenther said.
McDowell also said she began watching F1 in high school and has been a fan ever since.
“Since I was a kid, my dad always used to point out cool cars that we’d see on the road,” McDowell said. “One of my friends from high school got me into Formula 1 through F1TV, and I’ve been hooked ever since.”
