Last weekend, Red Bull’s Formula 1 team hosted a demonstration run in Taichung, Taiwan. Yuki Tsunoda was given the opportunity to take a few laps in the RB8, the vehicle that Sebastian Vettel drove to his 2012 world championship. However, the demonstration was cut short when the Renault engine caught fire, engulfing the entire car in flames.
Mechanics and marshals rushed to the smoking vehicle, which was ablaze in the middle of the Taiwanese metropolis. Meanwhile, Yuki Tsunoda managed to escape unscathed, climbing out of the cockpit in time. “Now he knows what it’s like to drive a Red Bull with a Renault engine,” a fan wrote on social media. The team used the French blocks between 2007 and 2018, which were not always known for their reliability.
Yuki Tsunoda’s Rare Opportunity
For Yuki Tsunoda, the demonstration laps were a rare chance to get behind the wheel of a Red Bull vehicle. The Japanese driver has been eyeing a promotion to the Milton Keynes team for some time. Following the dismissal of teammate Daniel Ricciardo, new hope seems to have emerged for the 24-year-old driver; Sergio Pérez’s position has been questioned again in recent days.
Footage of the incident can be found below:
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