DUBAI // The roar of a Red Bull-Renault F1 car streaking down Sheikh Zayed Road awakened many Dubai residents on Friday morning.
Luckily for the driver, whose runs were being recorded for a commercial, he didn't trigger the speed cameras.
“The licence plate is 'Red Bull,' so they’d have to pay the bill if I got flashed,” said Red Bull’s test driver, Neel Jani.
The car, which made two runs, hit 290kph between the Financial Centre Metro station and the Emirates Towers Metro station.
“I could have went faster. I had to lift off [the accelerator] when I got to the second Metro station for the photographers,” Mr Jani said.
The Red Bull show run was recorded form the air by a Dubai Police Helicopter as well on the ground. Traffic was diverted starting at 7.30am at Interchange One.
Some residents thought it was filming of Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol.
“I heard the car and looked out and saw there was no traffic on the road. I immediately thought they closed off the road for the film they are making around the Burj,” said Mohammed Fawzy, who lives nearby. “It was really cool. I jumped out of bed and ran down to see it. I got some video of it too."
Tony Burrows, Red Bull Racing support team manager, said: "All show runs are individual, but although we have done it in different cities around the world, Dubai's show run turned out to be one of a kind.”
The car will be on display in Mall of the Emirates until tomorrow.
