Red Bull implemented an unusual way to celebrate the return of the Spanish Grand Prix to Madrid after a 45-year hiatus, positioning a Formula 1 car on the tracks of the Spanish capital's subway.
The RB8 model, which won driver and constructor titles in 2012, was modified to travel inside the tunnels of the Madrid subway network. This choice of location is linked to Madring, a new semi-urban circuit of 5.416 km with 22 corners, located near the Ifema exhibition center, which has an integrated subway station where many fans will pass during the three days of the event. Red Bull conducted tests on the route before the public arrived.
The race is scheduled for Sunday the 13th, concluding a weekend that begins on Friday the 11th, marking the debut of this track on the calendar. This event represents the 16th round of the season and the second race held in Spain in 2026, following Barcelona in June. Madrid has not hosted Formula 1 since 1981, when the Spanish GP took place at the Jarama circuit; the sponsorship agreement with the category extends until 2035.
For this underground test, the team used the RB8, the single-seater that gave Sebastian Vettel his third of four world titles and the team its third consecutive constructor title. The vehicle, equipped with a 2.4L naturally aspirated V8 engine, required significant adjustments to function like a train, necessitating the development of specific steel wheels designed to be light enough not to damage the suspension, gearbox, or transmission.
The development was not immediate. According to Red Bull, two prototypes of wheels were found to have excessive weight and were discarded before the definitive solution was found, after approximately two weeks of work. Only then did Austrian driver Patrick Friesacher, who previously competed for Minardi in Formula 1, take control and allow the V8 engine to resonate through the tunnels during a scheduled service break.
Promotional actions of this nature are characteristic of the energy drink manufacturer, which entered Formula 1 in 2005 by acquiring the structure of Jaguar Racing. Since its entry, Red Bull Racing has accumulated 14 world titles: eight for drivers, four for Vettel and four for Max Verstappen, in addition to six constructors' titles, the most recent being in 2023.