Red Bull’s view on the race weekend
It was a long night in Shanghai after the final grand prix of the season, with several teams hosting end of year parties, although without wishing to blow our own trumpet, it’s fair to say that ours was the hot ticket of the night, with some very important F1 movers and shakers almost grovelling for invites on race day in the paddock.
No one who turned up would have been disappointed as it was one of those perfect nights when the weather was just right, there was the right crowd and no crowding and the drink never ran out.
An army of locals had been employed to erect an authentic-looking Chinese bamboo village on the banks of the river that slices through the heart of the city of Shanghai. The party could boast no less a dignitary than FIA President Max Mosley, who was on stage to assist Red Bull’s Dietrich Mateschitz in announcing the winner of this year’s Formula Una Award.
Several F1 drivers were present, but their year-round alcohol abstinence programme meant that one glass of champagne and negotiating the steps up onto stage proved a touch beyond their capabilities. All except our very own David Coulthard who is made of sterner stuff. Oh dear, we nearly forgot to tell you who won the Formula Una thing. Well, would you believe it, the jury found it almost impossible to split the girls and with the Hungarian representative only edging ahead by 0.1%, all 20 girls will be given the winner’s prize of a round the world trip!
A straw pole among F1 people agreed that the other great party of the weekend was the one staged by Minardi, who said farewell to the paddock with an Aussie-style barbecue on Saturday night. Actually, it wasn’t really a typically Australian outdoor meal, as no one died of alcohol poisoning, no one was dragged into the undergrowth and eaten by dingo dogs, nor did anyone drive a car into a swimming pool!


Tags: china, red-bull, racing, shanghai,