“This is the third time the Red Bull F1 Show Run is held India, and from the moment I got the call to photograph this event I was thinking about the new element we can put in just to make things a bit different than last years. Having in mind that colours in India are very symbolic, I had an idea to put them into this project, but the whole thing was uncertain. First of all, we needed a permit from the city authorities in Hyderabad to cover in colors the street where it all happened, and then Infiniti Red Bull Racing had to give permission for F1 car. When we got approval from the Indian government, and the Infiniti Red Bull Racing enthusiastically embraced the idea, we could finally do it.” Then the challenging part came in, at least for photographers point of view. “Since it’s powder paint, I wasn’t sure how much of it I need. First I decided for five kilos, but I realized that this quantity is small. Then I took 15 kilos, but even that was not enough, so in the end I took 40 kilograms of paint. I only had a few minutes between two laps to sprinkle all the colors on the road and when I finished I was totally painted, my camera, hands, shoes, shorts, everything was covered in paint and photoshooting didn’t event begun yet. However, it was worth it because we really get spectacular photographs.”

Racing fans in India steered their attention to the streets of Hyderabad in the first week of April as racing legend 13-time Grand Prix winner David Coulthard brought the adrenaline pumping roar of his engine to the streets of Hyderabad in an unforgettable event of F1 Show Run.
The Indian audiences haven’t got a chance to witness a Formula 1 car in action since 2013 hence the only team to have won the Indian Grand Prix returned to India after famously conquering the world’s highest motorable road at Khardung-la, dazzling Mumbaikars at the Bandra Worli Sea Link and delighting Delhi with some slick moves at the iconic Rajpath.

In 2009, Infiniti Red Bull Racing scorched through Mumbai’s iconic Bandra Worli Sea Link with its inimitable Red Bull F1 Showrun. In 2011, Daniel Ricciardo thrilled the Delhi crowd when he zipped across Rajpath – a stone’s throw away from the parliament house of the world’s biggest democracy – in New Delhi. After covering the West and the North, this time, the Silverstone-based team decided to head to the Southern part of India. This time, it was Hyderabad’s turn to host the unforgettable event. Thousands of spectators in Hyderabad was getting delirious with joy, screaming their lungs out to cheer their favourite team and the bargain, their love for Formula 1 even getting stronger!

Despite it being a hot summer morning on a lazy Sunday, resting on the tail end of the long Easter weekend, Hyderabadis thronged to the venue in huge numbers and with the same enthusiasm with which they celebrate their festivals. If there was need for any reassurance that India’s love for Formula One is alive and kicking, this was it. The fans’ enthusiasm could be gauged from the fact that people had started queuing up at the gates hours before the stipulated time.

At the wheel was none other than the Formula 1 legend and one of the best ambassadors of the sport – David Coulthard. Bollywood & Telugu film superstar Nagarjuna flagged off Coulthard and with that began 60 minutes of fun, frolic and donut-laden extravaganza. Two-time European Stunt Riding Champion Aras Gibieza gave him company in enthralling the audience, and the show they put up was nothing short of breathtaking! While the audiences were still recovering from Gibieza’s crafty and skillful display of stunt riding, the V8 roared to life and took the excitement quotient a notch higher. Some fans used their fingers as makeshift ear-plugs, though some braver and more passionate ones allowed the engine noise to sink in.

ABOUT INFINITI RED BULL RACING

The four-time championship winning Formula One team, Infiniti Red Bull Racing, set a world record in 2011 by driving on the highest motorable road in Khardung-la, Kashmir. The same year, Daniel Ricciardo drove the car down the iconic boulevard of Rajpath in Delhi, while Coulthard had earlier taken the car for a spin on the Sea Link in Mumbai in 2009. The team’s first year in the FIA Formula One World Championship was 2005. Infiniti Red Bull Racing has won the Drivers’ and Constructors’ World Championship four times (2010-2014) and they are the first and only Formula One team to achieve 50 wins in 10 years.

ABOUT DAVID COULTHARD

After distinguished careers in British junior Formula Ford and British Formula 3 Championships, David Coulthard took to Formula One in 1993 with Williams. He then moved to McLaren in 1997 and subsequently to Infiniti Red Bull Racing in 2005. He won 13 grand prix, all in cars designed in part by Adrian Newey, and appeared on the podium 62 times. Following his retirement in 2008, he continued to work with Red Bull as an ambassador, a position he still holds today.

WHAT IS RED BULL F1 SHOW RUN?

A show run gives fans all around the world a chance to witness the Formula One car up close and personal – who might not otherwise get to experience the sport. Infiniti Red Bull Racing has taken the car to many different international locations – from the icy terrain of Quebec, Canada, to the beaches of Santo Domingo, and the streets of London – in a spectacular demonstration of the car’s prowess. The Red Bull F1 Showrun, Hyderabad marked yet another milestone for the team.