LEO PARENTE: That was
a Red Bull RB7 2011
championship-winning Formula
One car challenging the
normalcy of midday traffic on
the city streets of Weehawken
and West New York, New Jersey.
So what the hell was
that all about?
Well, let me tell you a story.
In late 2011, word got out that
New York City and New
Jersey were going to
have a GP race.
All the way back to 1983, there
were pronouncements of
open-wheel races coming
to New York.
So when Leo Hindery, a very
politically-wired New York
business guy and racing
aficionado, announced he had a
deal, I still said to
myself, yeah, we've
heard all this before.
Now cut to June, 2012.
Infiniti and Red Bull invite us
to the official New Jersey
Grand Prix press conference in
Weehawken, across the river
from my New York City, to
announce the F1 race and to
show us the construction
of the pit garages.
We came to get interviews and
video all the action.
David Coulthard and Sebastian
Vettel were on hand giving
ride-alongs in their Infiniti
G37 IPL performance cars.
New Jersey state and city
officials were on hand.
The cops were there acting
like everything was under
control until we jumped into
the Infiniti with Coulthard
for our police-escorted
hot lap.
And that's when it became
apparent New Jersey was not up
to speed on F1.
The streets were not
shut down, regular
traffic was not diverted.
The escorted laps were
more like scenes
from Ronin, the movie.
As we cut through traffic,
jumped red lights behind the
cop car at 80 to 100
miles an hour.
One officer had to swerve
to avoid T-Bone
crashing into a Camry.
We can't show you the video
because, mysteriously, all the
in-car video footage
went missing.
The one piece of footage that we
did sneak out of New Jersey
was Seb doing his unauthorized
doughnut.
Watch this cop's reaction.
POLICE OFFICER: That's
beyond dangerous.
That's reckless.
LEO PARENTE: But all that gets
us to today and our latest
chapter on the New
Jersey F1 story.
12 hours ago, Mike Spinelli gets
an email about something
Red Bull happening in Weehawken
the next day.
Show up at a certain New Jersey
fire station at 10:00
AM to learn more, it says.
Spin kind of blows it off.
J.F., who lives in New Jersey,
remembers hearing about the
Lincoln Tunnel being
closed for filming.
No further details.
Holy [BLEEP].
We're real journalists
figuring out a story.
So a 10-minute, New York City to
Weehawken ferry ride later,
we arrive at said firehouse
location to find two RB7 Red
Bull GP cars, a race crew of
10 people, Renault engine
techies, and 30 Red Bull Media
House videographers.
And it was obvious.
Red Bull the racing team
was serious stuff.
So doing my thing, I started
chatting up the crew guy that
looked the most plugged in.
Turns out I guessed right.
He was Tony Burrows, the
head of the team
here to run the cars.
But this was no simple
promo team.
Burrows and the labs are
the support team
to the F1 race team.
I'll let him explain exactly
what that means.
TONY BURROWS: OK, this
is a support team.
Our primary function is
to support the racing.
So what we do most of the year
round is we either travel to
races to support them or we go
and do development tests in
aero-testing in Spain,
is our main function.
We do a lot of that.
As you know, Adrian likes
his aerodynamics.
And we're always trying to
improve the car and trying to
find them few tenths to get
the jump on people.
So that is our primary
function.
With the restriction in testing
that they have now, we
find ourselves with a bit
more time on our hands.
So what we do is we take one
of our championship-winning
cars around the world, running
it up and down highways and
main roads, and just try and
bring some awareness of
Formula One.
These are our RB7 cars
we have here.
We have the Sebastian Vettel
and Mark Webber's cars.
We always bring two, because
you've got to take enough
spares, so you might as well
build it up into a car.
And we can always react quickly
if we have any problems.
So that's why we
bring two cars.
We arrived last week, just
before the weekend.
We've been preparing the car.
Our first run we did was on
Monday where we went to
Liberty Park.
And we drove up Freedom Road and
along the boardwalk, and
got some spectacular shots of
the Manhattan skyline in the
background and the Statue
of Liberty.
So that was our first shot
on the first day.
On the second day, we went back
and did some more along
Freedom Road, some of the
shots that we'd missed.
And then we decamped and went
down to the Lincoln Tunnel
last night.
At about two o'clock this
morning, we were running
backwards and forwards
through the tunnel.
It looks fantastic in the
dark under those lights.
The car looked wonderful.
So our first couple of runs
with me in a camera car,
directing what I want
David to do--
and then the second and third
runs were just him flat out.
So it was really cool.
LEO PARENTE: And Red Bull
Media House are equally
buttoned up at hot stuff.
You know them from The Art of
FLIGHT and the Austin F1
cow-punching promo videos they
did, among other work like
taking on WRC promo
videography.
So all the right players
were here and ready--
the Red Bull team, David
Coulthard to drive the car,
the camera crew, New Jersey
cops, the city politicians.
Surprisingly not here
was anyone from the
race promoter group.
For now, here's the car
[INAUDIBLE] we caught as Red
Bull Media House shot their
promotional video, which will
be online in a week or so
and David Coulthard did
his race car thing.
[SOUND OF ENGINE]
LEO PARENTE: By the way, Tony
explained for an event like
this, the ride height goes up
1/2 to 3/4 inch, softer
springs go in the car, not to
put as much strain on the
parts, and fans were
installed in the
radiators to help air flow.
And David--
he said he just leaves himself
a bit more margin driving, so
as to not auger the thing into
a tree, a house, or the
Starbucks here in New Jersey.
And we couldn't shoot the car up
close, because it really is
the real spec 2011
championship car.
And pieces like the exhaust are
very much like the current
configuration.
Ferrari, McLaren, and Lotus--
they don't need any extra
design help, thank you.
And then we had a few words
with David Coulthard.
So, David Coulthard, we're
here in New Jersey.
You're the only guy that's
driven both US Grand Prix
tracks that are coming
up in '13 and '14.
Tell me about this track
as it compares to the
personality of Austin.
DAVID COULTHARD: Well, two
completely different venues
and two great tracks,
in my opinion.
The one in Austin-- it's a
purpose built track out near
the airport, easy access
to the city.
It's going to be really
challenging for the drivers.
But it is a bespoke racecourse
that we use 12
months of the year.
Here in New Jersey, you have a
track which is going to be a
combination of Monte Carlo,
Singapore, Valencia, the
street circuits we go to.
But what will make this unique
is not just the great backdrop
of Manhattan, it's the fact that
it will be 200 miles an
hour across the front street,
which will make it the fastest
street circuit that we
race in Formula One.
LEO PARENTE: Now, you just drove
parts of this track.
Jack And even though it was a
promotional run, you were
carrying a little pace.
Which parts of the track already
caught your attention
from a racing driver?
DAVID COULTHARD: OK, well across
the top section-- and
excuse me, I don't know the name
of that street-- but the
natural curvature of the road
actually adds an interesting
challenge for the driver.
They were talking initially
about completely flattening
that area out.
But I think it adds personality
to the track to
have this sort of big,
wide open crest.
And I don't think it's an issue
at all for the cars.
But when you drop down past the
sewage works, or the water
treatment plant, that's
incredibly fast over a brow
into a really long, sweeping
right handle and then brings
you onto this front section.
And that's where it's
all going to be flat
out and wide open.
And I think the tracking shots
for when we come here for the
race will just look
incredible.
The fans are going to
have a great view.
Those who have got apartments
and houses along the race
course, they get a free view.
LEO PARENTE: 19 turns, hairpins,
high speed--
passing zones already figured
out in your mind?
DAVID COULTHARD: Yeah,
absolutely.
And the top section, before you
do the 90 right down the
hill, great overtaking zone,
likewise before you come onto
this front section, and then
down into the pits complex
here which they're
still working on.
I think it will give three
really good overtaking spots.
For Formula One, that's already
more than a lot of the
tracks have got.
LEO PARENTE: What do fans in the
US-- what do people in the
US need to know to want
to come to this race?
DAVID COULTHARD: Well, Red Bull
wouldn't be doing this if
they didn't think that it was
going to be something that was
going to be popular
with the public.
You don't need to know anything
about Formula One.
If you like cars, if you like
speed, if you're intrigued to
know what makes Formula One
the fastest form of
closed-circuit racing
in the world--
that's a fact.
We're not just sort of
doing that as PR.
These are the fastest cars
around the racetrack and of
this type of nature.
And the technology is the
technology of tomorrow that
you'll have in your road cars.
Carbon fiber was first developed
for Formula One.
Traction control, turbocharged
engines-- all of those things
came because of Formula
One racing.
LEO PARENTE: You're an announcer
with the BBC.
So without trading your trade
secrets, what's the current
vibe in news in the F1
pits and paddock?
Is it all about drivers?
Is it all about Mercedes?
Is it all about new
venues like this?
What's carrying their
attention right now?
DAVID COULTHARD: I think,
actually, we're getting an
overdose right now in Formula
One of excitement.
Because we're having an absolute
golden era in terms
of the drivers battling
for the championship.
Red Bull have dominated the
last couple of years.
But it's a real battle this year
for them with Ferrari,
with McLaren--
Lotus are right there looking
like they can get a win as
well, Mercedes, of course,
have won a Grand Prix.
So we've got some great drivers
and a very competitive
series of Formula One.
The future is about new
technologies, as I mentioned.
They're going to go to
turbocharged, turbocharged
engines-- sorry, my Scottish
speech impediment--
in 2014.
And again, that's all about
trying to eke the maximum
horsepower out of the smallest
engines possible, doing the
bit for the environment
by making
them more fuel efficient.
LEO PARENTE: Now, I'll go
on record and pick.
I want to watch Alonso
for the rest of the
race, battle Vettel.
Do you have any favorites as
this season winds down?
Things to look for?
DAVID COULTHARD: Yeah, I think
that it's fair to say that
it's very difficult for me not
to feel passionate about Red
Bull, because I've been
part of the journey
right from the beginning.
But when I stay up in the
commentary booth, I just talk
about what I see.
And there's no question for me
that Raikkonen or Grosjean--
but for me, probably more likely
Raikkonen and Lotus is
going to get a win very soon.
He's just looking stronger
and stronger.
And you just need to look how
disappointed he was to finish
second in the last race in
Budapest to see that he's
really hot for it.
Alonso's been incredible.
You've got to say that he's a
benchmark in Formula One.
That doesn't take anything away
from Sebastian or Lewis
or any of those guys.
But Alonso has used all his
experience to put himself
leading the championship at
a time when he doesn't
have the best car.
So there's a lot of good
stories out there.
And we're just past the halfway
point in the season.
And this is going to be
a development battle.
It's not just about
the drivers.
It's about teamwork.
LEO PARENTE: Last question.
You're racing DTM--
third year.
Do you want to come back
here and race?
DAVID COULTHARD: I would love
to come back here and race.
But I think my time in Formula
One is well and truly over.
But I don't suppose DTM will
be coming here soon.
But maybe there'll be some other
form of support race
that I can get involved in.
LEO PARENTE: So where are
we here with all this?
Well, without sounding like
Motor Trend, with their PR
heavy opinions, the Red Bull
video is going to be mega.
And thanks for the insider
invite to document the making
of the piece.
But why is this video being
done in the first place?
Well, yeah, to promote
the race.
But for the record, there is no
race until it shows up in
the official F1 calendar.
And Hindery, if you recall,
already got called out by
Bernie Ecclestone for
suggesting this
race is a done deal.
How dare you do that?
That's my job, says Bernie.
But that also may be just Bernie
negotiating, saying not
so fast, and where's my check?
Yet, Hindery's people told me
the money's all in place.
Yeah, but didn't Danny Bahar
from Lotus tell me the same
thing about Lotus in an
earlier shakedown?
So maybe this video isn't a
promo for the race but a pitch
video for the promoters to use
to get the money for the race.
And is this race of 2013
happening or not?
Well, Coulthard suggested
the roads
don't need to be repaved.
The promoters say everything
will be repaved.
When that happens is a factor
of East Coast winter.
And getting it done early enough
for Pirelli and the
teams to laser scan the tracks
for simulations and to analyze
the tarmac for grip.
If it doesn't happen
soon enough, this
may be a 2014 race.
Bottom line-- we love
the video Red Bull's
about to show us all.
We'll watch for the 2013 F1
schedule announcement.
We'll monitor the construction
and paving.
We'll get ready for
a June 2013 race.
Or we'll do this whole thing
again one year later with a
video for the 2014 race.
So in that one-- since Ken Block
raced a bridge in his
video, Coulthard raced the
Lincoln Tunnel in this shoot--
for 2014, let's get Vettel to
BASE jump off the Empire State
Building versus Mark Webber pit
stop, to see who hits the
ground first, Seb or
Webber's tires.
