Photos by: Oscar Herrera
Over 35,000 people packed Discovery Green on Saturday as the first Houston Red Bull Showrun took place. For the first time in the United States, audiences were able to witness two Formula One cars take the track at the same time during a Showrun.
The free, all-ages event brought legendary F1 driver David Coulthard and 17-year-old Red Bull Junior Team driver Arvid Lindblad to town in the championship-winning RB7 and RB8, respectively. For Lindblad, this marks his public F1 debut and first Showrun.
“He (Coulthard) has been really supportive of everything, so he’s definitely made the step up a bit easier,” Lindblad said. “Such a seasoned, incredible driver, many Grand Prix wins, the first podium for Red Bull; so to be doing my first Showrun with him is an amazing moment.”
After warming up their tires, Coulthard and Lindblad went full force around the temporary, custom-built race track.
As part of the grand finale, both cars took the track at the same time before the drivers paraded around with the United States and Texas flags.
“To come to Houston, it’s such a vibrant city, not far from the baseball stadium and we’re right in the heart of where all the action’s happening from a sporting sense,” Coulthard said. “The fan base in America is so passionate and I think the energy has been amazing.”
On top of the adored F1 cars, fans saw burnouts, donuts and more performed by drifting expert ‘Mad’ Mike Whiddett, off-road champion Andrew Carlson and freestyle motorcyclist Aaron Colton.
Whiddett showed off in his recently unveiled “MadMac drifting McLaren P1 Hypercar,” with Paul Wall sitting as a passenger.
In his Pro4 truck, Carlson scorched donut marks onto the streets, and Colton pushed his motorcycle to its limit, driving with no hands and keeping his feet off the pedals.
Teaming up with Coffee and Cars, attendees were also treated to a low-rider parade and a pop-up parade featuring luxury and custom vehicles, bringing Houston culture into the mix.
With Red Bull bringing F1 cars and other exciting vehicles to Houston, motorsports fans were able to get a glimpse into what a race day might look and sound like.
“Not many people have had the opportunity to go to a Grand Prix,” Coulthard said. “America historically was not really engaging with Formula One until the last few years, and then we just had this explosion of interest.”
With the sport’s rise in popularity, partially due to Netflix’s “Formula 1: Drive to Survive,” the fanbase is now an estimated 40% female, as opposed to the estimated eight percent in 2017.
“Being able to expand the audience and to see over the following years, the amount of young people that are getting engaged with it and a lot of growth in the female market as well, which is fantastic,” Coulthard said.
Following the day’s excitement, the official afterparty saw a sold-out crowd for the inaugural Red Bull Turn It Up, a crowd-judged DJ competition with teams created by DJ Mr. Rogers and DJ Hed.
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