As part of the 12hr Nürburgring endurance race weekend, over 60,000 motorsports fans were treated to a series of unique showruns that saw F1 drivers and cars take on the legendary Nordschleife circuit last raced in Formula 1 in 1975. At its heart was a lap of the famed circuit by Sebastian Vettel and David Coulthard in the Red Bull RB7 and RB8.
Coulthard, himself an F1 winner here on the adjacent Grand Prix track, pursued Vettel around the 20.832km track that undulates through the Eifel mountains in the RB8 – Vettel nicknamed his Abbey – that swept the 2012 World Championships.
Red Bull's cars weren't the only stars. Multiple car classes and big-name drivers were part of the day-long event, keeping spectators engaged.
Mathias Lauda drove the Ferrari 312 B3-74 that his father Niki Lauda used to set the only sub seven-minute time (6:58.6) on the Nordschleife in 1975 as he took his first world championship. Gerhard Berger showed off the Ferrari F1-412 T2 and Ralf Schumacher was at the wheel of the Williams FW25-07, while Jos Verstappen drove the all-electric Ford SuperVan 4.2 that had graced the Pikes Peak Hill Climb earlier this year.
Yuki Tsunoda left his AlphaTauri in Italy and instead took a fire-breathing Honda NSX GT3 Evo around the track and there was a thrilling display by FMX star Luc Ackermann jumping over the Red Bull Driftbrothers, Elias Hountondji and Johannes Hountondji as they drifted at speed below him.
Both F1 cars, as well as several other racing machines that took part, ran on e-fuels for the event. During the twilight years of his Formula 1 career, Vettel pushed for a more sustainable way of racing, even nudging F1 to ditch military flypasts during the build-up to the race and ensuring that passenger jets that take part in such displays are run on sustainable fuels.
“Motorsport is my great passion and I want to keep the sport alive. Fuels can be produced synthetically and serve as a substitute fuel, ” said Vettel. “It is important that we all become aware that we must do something. And the great thing is – you don’t feel any difference in the car, it’s just as much fun driving it on synthetic fuel.”
Source: Red Bull
