Red Bull RB18 Took The L Train To Work In Chicago

Sep. 21, 2023 8:13 AM ET by Gerhard Horn Formula One / 2 Comments

The traffic was too hectic.

Oracle Red Bull Racing surprised Chicagoans Thursday morning by making the championship-winning RB18 part of their commute. The absolute monster of a machine was perched on its own carriage on the L, the elevated tracks of Chicago's rapid transport system. For our international readers, "L" is short for "elevated," and the entire system is roughly 103 miles long and travels at a top speed of 55 mph. That makes it much faster than the RB19 Red Bull was running in the recent Malaysian Grand Prix. (Sorry, RBR. The joke was right there.)

Why Chicago? Earlier this year, Red Bull announced that it will host two Stateside promotional events leading up to the two remaining American Grands Prix. The Cringe Grand Prix already took place in May, with Red Bull taking an impressive one-two. The Grand Prix at COTA is scheduled for 22 October, while the season's penultimate race takes place in Las Vegas on 19 November.

The Red Bull Showrun Chicago is scheduled for September 29 and is free and open to the public. Unfortunately, all the tickets have already been claimed.

Red Bull will erect a temporary circuit through Madison Street in front of the United Center. The parking lots in the area will also be transformed into 2,000 feet of additional track space for the RB7 to stretch its legs. Since RB18 is already there, it will likely be part of the demonstration as well. Sadly, it's unlikely any of the drivers will attend as they're currently on the other side of the world, slowly making their way back to the States via the Japanese and Qatar Grands Prix.

According to Red Bull's statement, Chicagoans can expect "cutting-edge machinery, flawless donuts, and roaring burnouts."

Red Bull didn't make any other announcement regarding cars, but we wouldn't be surprised to see Mad Mike Whiddett and the iconic MADBUL. Whiddett recently schooled Max Verstappen in the noble art of drifting.

Ford has already started producing a host of promotional vehicles since its engine partnership with Red Bull was announced. The Ford SuperVan will likely be there, and expect to see the most recently launched performance vehicles like the Mustang Mach-E Rally and the utterly outrageous 800-hp Mustang GTD.

It's also a prime opportunity for fans in the US to get up close with all of the racing Mustangs Ford introduced in recent months.