Tsunoda’s Red Bull catches fire during a roadshow
Yuki Tsunoda's demonstration came to an abrupt end this weekend in Taiwan. While he was driving a 2012 Red Bull through the streets of Taichung, the car caught on fire. The Japanese driver escaped unharmed.
For his first roadshow appearance, Yuki Tsunoda was hoping for a better celebration. The Japanese driver was invited by Red Bull to drive the 2012 RB8 during the “Red Bull Showrun” held this weekend in Taichung (Taiwan). But after only a few minutes of performing stunts in the city, Tsunoda was forced to stop, his car catching fire at the engine level.
This demonstration, in front of nearly 60,000 fans, had to be interrupted so that the on-site teams could extinguish the fire. It did not cause any injuries, as Yuki Tsunoda was able to get out of his cockpit before the situation worsened.
Red Bull has not communicated yet.
The Austrian team saw its showrun turn into a nightmare. Tsunoda was at the wheel of the RB8 from 2012. The one with which Sebastian Vettel won the third of his four world titles. Red Bull had won the constructors’ title ahead of Ferrari that year. The Austrian manufacturer has not yet commented on the origin of this fire but is expected to investigate it.
It seems likely that the fire occurred following a technical problem with the V8 engine that equipped the single-seater. This failure may have occurred due to the extreme heat produced by this engine as well as the possible wear of certain parts. Tsunoda will be able to collect his thoughts before rejoining Racing Bulls for the United States Grand Prix (October 18-20).
