Mark Webber has stepped back in a Formula One car for the first time since his horrific accident at Valencia last weekend.
In the lead up to next weekend’s British Grand Prix, the Red Bull Racing team took its test car out on the streets of London, performing a pit stop at the gates of the Houses of Parliament.
Stunned onlookers and commuters on Parliament Square watched as the leading F1 team warmed up for next week’s local race with a 3.2 second pit stop.
Last week, Webber walked away unscathed from one of the most horrific crashes in recent years. This week, he jumped at the chance to show off his driving skills to the unsuspecting British public.
“Obviously, this is a once in a lifetime opportunity – it’s not every day you get to see the sights of London from an F1 car,” he said.
“This year has once again thrown up some interesting rule changes so any practice the team can get is going to make a difference, no matter where it is.”
Red Bull Racing Team Manager Jonathan Wheatley said that performing pit stop practice in such an iconic area was unique.
“As a team, we practice and perform pit stops in all sorts of conditions around the world but this has been a really unique experience, one I imagine won’t be repeated,” he said.
“We’ve only got a week to go before Silverstone so what better way to practice under pressure than outside the Houses of Parliament.”
The car that Webber drove in the pit stop stunt was the same car that fellow Australian driver Daniel Ricciardo drove at Silverstone the day before. CLICK HERE for the story on Ricciardo.
See below for a video of Webber on the streets of London.
