If you’re strolling the streets of New York, by now you should expect that anything can happen at any given time. Apparently, the people in Times Square didn’t seem to get the memo as they witnessed a NASCAR team conducting an actual pit stop right smack dab in he middle of the world famous landmark.
We’re guessing that the Red Bull Racing Team, which included driver Brian Vickers and a full assembly of the Red Bull mechanics and pit crew, didn’t get lost on its way to Michigan for Sunday’s Sprint Cup Series race so we’re venturing to say that this is some form of guerilla marketing destined for the internet, it lends a little support to Red Bull in the process. Judging from the stunned and baffled looks on the faces of the crowd while watching the team perform an actual tire change outside of the McDonald’s in Time Square, it’s safe to assume that they didn’t know what the heck was going on. Either way, advertising – be it or good or confusing – is still advertising, and the 20.6 second pitstop certainly made all those people in the area stand up and take notice. Whether that translates to more TV viewers in the New York area is an entirely different matter.
But what the heck, it worked didn’t it? How else do you explain the thousands of hits it has garnered on YouTube.
The winner of the title last year and one of the three championship leaders, Kimi Raikkonen, pushed last sunday, before the race, a well respected photographer, that has been taking pictures on the Formula 1 for the last decades.
Following the incident involving Kimi Raikkonen and Paul-Henri Cahier on the starting grid of the British Grand Prix in Silverstone, that saw the finnish driver assault the photographer, we decided that it was necessary to clarify a few points.
There never was any contact between the two men, nor did Paul-Henri ever touch Kimi’s equipment. Furthermore, the distance at which Paul-Henri Cahier was taking a picture, although close, was completely standard. The photographers who take pictures at Grand Prix races are all professionnals who have been accredited by the FIA, and as the dozen other photographers who were standing next to Paul-Henri Cahier prove, there was nothing unusual or unethical about this situation.
Finally, Paul-Henri Cahier has been an F1 photographer for almost fourty years and has been close to the greatest champions, but none of them has ever behaved in such a rude manner. It is understandable that drivers might get irritable because of the pressure they undergo, but Kimi Raikkonen never even attempted to express his discontent in a non violent way. Paul-Henri Cahier luckily did not suffer any injury, and so does not intend to take any action, but he regrets the arrogance with which Kimi Raikkonen treated someone who was merely doing his job.
If you want to see the video of the incident, click here.
Panasonic Toyota Racing today unveiled the TF108, its entry for the 2008 FIA Formula 1 World Championship and the car it expects to challenge at the front next season. Full story
Dr. Dieter Zetsche, Chairman of the Daimler Board, and Ron Dennis, Chairman and CEO of the McLaren Group, welcomed all the guests to the official presentation, with Lewis Hamilton, who celebrates his 23rd birthday today, and Heikki Kovalainen joined on stage by Pedro de la Rosa and fellow test driver Gary Paffett to unveil the MP4-23. Full story
