On one end, F1 returned to Mumbai after 14 years. On the other end, an expensive car got engulfed in flames. What a strangely eventful day!
On March 12, at Mumbai’s Bandra Bandstand, Byramji Jeejeebhoy Road, Red Bull F1 conducted its Mumbai rundown after 14 long years. 2009 was the last time Red Bull did a rundown in Mumbai, whereas the F1 team's last India rundown was in Hyderabad in 2015, with former F1 driver David Coulthard in the cockpit.
On Sunday, once again, David Coulthard got into the cockpit of Red Bull’s RB7 F1 car that won the F1 championship in 2011. For all the auto enthusiasts and F1 fans, it was a joyous moment to see Coulthard performing donuts and burnouts in the red, blue, and yellow mean machine.
However, the day turned out to be unlucky for a Nissan GT-R, whose car caught fire in the middle of the road. According to a report by the Free Press Journal, the car was driven for one kilometre from the Galaxy Apartment to the Bandstand event before it caught fire in Bandra West near the German Laundry.
@Nissan_India GTR catching fire after the #redbullshowrun event in Bandra pic.twitter.com/EqeTPChQHe
— Ben Dover (@DFernxd) March 12, 2023
Reacting to the video, one user highlighted, "The driver was quick to take action and the restaurants nearby provided the fire extinguishers," whereas another blamed Mumbai’s extreme temperature by tweeting, "Another one bites the dust thanks to Mumbai's heat #GlobalWarming."
The GT-R is a Japanese sportscar manufactured by Japanese manufacturer Nissan. Over the years, car enthusiasts have nicknamed the GT-R as "Godzilla" because of its brutal power figures and menacing look.
In India, the GT-R was made available between 2016 and 2022 with a price tag of nearly INR 2.2 crore. Powered by a twin-turbo, 3.8-litre, V6 engine, the GT-R makes a peak power of 565PS and 633Nm of maximum torque.
Moving on to the Oracle Red Bull F1 team, Max Verstappen won the first race of the ongoing F1 season at the Bahrain Grand Prix, while partner Sergio Perez finished second.
What an opening race we had in Bahrain! ?
— Formula 1 (@F1) March 12, 2023
Roll on Jeddah! ?#F1 pic.twitter.com/GBlIKsErsj