Red Bull celebrates its title on the roof of the world
The Red Bull team is dominating this Formula 1 season head and shoulders above the rest, and numerous superlatives have been used to describe Sebastian Vettel's title. But the Austrian team has found the right formula: Red Bull on top of the world. And it's not just a metaphor; the team has driven their show car on the highest mountain range in the world, the Himalayas.
After a demonstration by Daniel Ricciardo in New Delhi, the team in charge of the Red Bull showcar headed to the Himalayas to climb the world’s highest road, Khardung La, whose highest point is at 5,359 meters. The route notably passes by the Thiksey Monastery, giving the monks the opportunity to discover a Formula 1 car.
While Sebastian Vettel secured his second Formula 1 World Championship title, and perhaps before Red Bull’s second constructors’ title this weekend in South Korea, the Swiss driver of Indian origin, Neel Jani, had the privilege of driving the Red Bull show car on the Khardung La road, which includes dirt, gravel, and snowy sections, setting what is likely the altitude record endured by a Formula 1 single-seater. This also makes the Red Bull Racing team the first to have transported, started, and driven a single-seater on this road.
Of all the places I’ve driven in the world, Khardung La must be the most humbling. The Himalayas are the most imposing in the world and being part of a piece of history here will be a memory I will cherish all my life, explained Neel Jani.
