San Francisco’s Marina Boulevard was turned into a demo racetrack Saturday as a Formula 1 car and other vehicles raced along the waterfront for a brief eight-tenths-of-a-mile stretch, drawing around 50,000 spectators who reportedly trashed the Marina District on their way out.
As KRON4 reports, the Red Bull-sponsored Formula One demonstration took over the Marina District Saturday afternoon for San Francisco's first such event of its kind. Around 50,000 fans reportedly showed up to watch the spectacle, which featured a branded Ford Raptor T1+ rally racer, a multi-million dollar F1 car, and other high-performance vehicles speeding along the short stretch of Marina Boulevard between Buchanan and Baker streets, which was closed to traffic from 3 am to 10 pm Saturday, as SFGate reported.
KTVU spoke to some of the spectators. "A bunch of drivers were doing crazy things like wheelies and driving with their feet off and standing up," said Avi Singh of San Jose.
"I love it. I think it's fun to have so many people around. People are excited. It's bringing people from all across the city and the Bay Area," said Stephanie Lo of San Francisco.
As SFGate reported, Red Bull’s test and reserve driver, Yuki Tsunoda (featured in the below clip) of Netflix’s Drive to Survive fame, took part in the event, along with local driver Scott Speed, off-road racer Mitch Guthrie, and freestyle motocross rider Aaron Colton.
KRON4 reports that Speed’s car ran into the barrier at one point, causing the barrier to hit the fence surrounding the crowd, which can be seen in the below video clip. A couple spectators reportedly felt the impact, including a girl who can be seen with a small cut on her knee in the clip.
