By TAKASHI ARICHIKA/ Staff Writer
February 28, 2023 at 08:00 JST
In a dream photo op, a Shinkansen is barreling down the tracks alongside a speeding Formula One race car at breathtaking speeds in a scene that is sure to turn heads.
Red Bull has released images online of its F1 machine with a top speed of more than 300 kph racing along a public road in Japan, with a bullet train running in the background.
The project is aimed at ramping up the excitement for the upcoming F1 season.
The Red Bull team, which won the constructors' championship last year, shot photos and videos in Shizuoka Prefecture in November and in Nagasaki Prefecture in December.
At each location, a two-kilometer straight stretch of road and other public roads connecting to it were shut down during the shooting.
In Nagasaki Prefecture, the Omura Bay Green Road in Higashi-Sonogi and the Omura Soto-Kanjo route in Omura were used as the locations.
The highlight of the project is the race car and a Shinkansen running side by side.
In Shizuoka Prefecture, the F1 car was seen racing along a public road alongside a high-speed train on the Tokaido Shinkansen Line.
In Nagasaki Prefecture, it sped through a road as a Kamome bullet train ran on the Nishi-Kyushu route on the Kyushu Shinkansen Line, which opened in September last year.
Because the F1 driver had to start and stop the car within a restricted area, it was very difficult to match the timing for the run, the team said.
Red Bull did not disclose the identity of the driver who drove the race car for the shooting sessions.
The RB16B Formula One race car was manufactured by Honda Motor Co. and used by the Red Bull team during the 2021 season.
It was a special edition vehicle painted in red and white in tribute to the national flag of Japan.
In appreciation to Honda, which had supplied engines to Red Bull and withdrew from F1 in 2021, the word "arigato" (thank you) in hiragana was featured on the rear wing and in other spots.
The color scheme is particularly popular among fans.
It was originally set to be unveiled at the Japanese Grand Prix that year, but the event was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
It made its debut at the Turkish Grand Prix, which was held as an alternate race.
The F1 machine was put on display in front of Omura Station after the photo shoot, attracting many passers-by who snapped photos of the race car.
This year, the Formula One World Championship will open with the Bahrain Grand Prix scheduled on March 6.
The images are posted on Red Bull Motorsports' official Twitter account at (https://twitter.com/redbullmotorJP) and elsewhere.
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A Red Bull Formula One RB16B race car speeds down a public road in Nagasaki Prefecture, while a Kamome bullet train, which can reach a top speed of 260 kph, is seen running on the Nishi-Kyushu route of the Kyushu Shinkansen Line in the background. ((c) Suguru Saito/ Red Bull Content Pool)
