The Khardung La road in India winds its way up to a staggering 18,380ft. Arguably the world's highest driveable road, it's probably the last place you'd expect to see a Formula 1 car.
The Red Bull Racing team however, are somewhat used to bringing F1 cars to places you'd least expect. Through their Running Showcar program, they've taken F1 to the streets of many cities around the world. They've also driven it on everything from frozen lakes to beaches.
Tackling the Khardung La however, made those other stunts seem somewhat sedate in comparison.
Driving a Formula 1 car up such a treacherous road isn't a straight forward affair. The altitude caused a few issues for the team, with the engine requiring extensive remapping. "The engine consumed a much higher percentage of fuel but produced less power" said Red Bull Showcar's Anthony Ward. The fuel cell also had to be pressurised so flow would be maintained at altitude.
The car was also raised to its maximum ride height which, being a Formula 1 car, isn't exactly high.
Another issue they faced was a reduced support crew. Usually Red Bull's Running Showcar has a team of 20, but many of their team members were busy helping Sebastian Vettel clinch his second World Championship in Japan.
At least some friendly monks were willing to lend a helping hand!
It must have been such a strange sighting for the monks...
...And no doubt hearing the throttle buried on a Formula 1 car was something they won't be forgetting any time soon.
The Khardung La pass is located 37km from the city of Leh in India.
The desolate stretch of road was long claimed to be the world's highest driveable road, although recently there has been some debate that other passes reach higher into the sky. That said, the Red Bull team would be climbing to an altitude of over 5000m.
Driving the Red Bull Formula 1 car was Neel Jani, a Swiss racing driver of Indian descent. The team had oxygen supplies and an ambulance on standby in case the air became too thin for Jani.
Indeed, a few members of the team suffered from mild altitude sickness and weren't able to complete the expedition.
The remoteness of the area was a problem in itself. The team brought five tonnes of equipment with them, but in the end were only able to load up one truck as a support vehicle. The majority of their spares were left behind at 11,000 feet.
Dry ice is used to cool the radiators on a Formula 1 car, but where would you find dry ice here? The Red Bull team had to fly it in from Delhi.
To shift their equipment, tools and spares around, the team also had to find a fork lift. Luckily they were able to borrow one from the military.
Passing the 13,200ft marker. Still 5180ft of climbing to go! To give you some context, Pikes Peak is 14,115ft.
I'm assuming drivers would stop complaining about Spa's Bus Stop chicane if they encountered this particular stretch of road.
Red Bull were hoping to complete their stunt while conditions were still favourable. Unfortunately, as they neared the top they were met with the first snow of winter.
The Red Bull F1 car wasn't able run a small portion at the end of the pass, as the bumps and pot holes were simply too big. For this section, the F1 car was loaded onto a truck.
The RB reaching the summit.
The Running Showcar team only had one shot at the Khardung La, and they must've breathed a sigh of relief when it was completed. They couldn't stay at the peak for too long because of the threat of altitude sickness.
So a question to you guys: where would you like to see an F1 car drive?
- Charles Kha
Photos by Predrag Vuckovic, Red Bull Content Pool
Red Bull Racing
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