BOITUMELO RANTAO
FORMULA One makes its long-awaited return to Istanbul after nine-years, and Red Bull marked the occasion with an exciting, and discrete, ride through the town to the famous Bosphorous Bridge.
F1 drivers Pierre Gasly of Scuderia AlphaTauri and Alex Albon of Aston Martin Red Bull Racing took to the streets of the transcontinental city Istanbul, Turkey with a driving display through the town.
Blown away at the beauty of the bridge Gasly said: “Any time you have the possibility to drive a Formula 1 car at an iconic landmark is special. It was incredible to drive on the Bosphorus Bridge, thinking that in a blink of an eye you cross the border of two continents – just amazing! We celebrate the return of F1 in Turkey, and it’s great to know it coincides with the introduction of the AlphaTauri team and fashion label. I personally like the AlphaTauri clothing a lot, and it’s a privilege to be carrying its colours around the world.”
The Bosphorus Strait that separates Europe and Asia, Istanbul is one of few cities to be located on two continents and has played a prominent role in history between east and west. Albon and Gasly took two F1 cars onto the 1,560m-long suspension bridge that crosses the strait, becoming the first drivers in history to perform a pit stop and doughnuts in one city across two continents at the same time.
Scuderia AlphaTauri is looking to build on a strong 2020 season, highlighted by a race victory for Gasly at Monza in September. It was the first F1 win for the Frenchman and the first for his team in AlphaTauri colours..
This weekend will be the first time that AlphaTauri and its Scuderia AlphaTauri racing team appear in Turkey. In their six Turkish Grand Prix entries to date (2006-2011), the team now named after Red Bull’s premium fashion brand raced under former name Scuderia Toro Rosso.
