Former Formula 1 presenter Will Buxton has shed light on how the Red Bull Racing F1 team partied during race weekends and how it spent $1 million on a special party in China.
Buxton spent more than a decade in F1 before making the switch to IndyCar last year. Speaking on the Up to Speed Show, he opened up about how the team backed by an energy-drinks brand was serious about partying, exposing him to some of the “wildest” parties in his 20s.
Buxton described how Red Bull had a city built on the river out of bamboo that cost a million dollars, only for a party that lasted one night, likely during the Chinese Grand Prix weekend.
However, such extravagant celebrations apparently ended when Red Bull took on a more serious role in F1 and began winning races. It is assumed that it was around the 2009 season when Sebastian Vettel joined the team. Despite moving to the American racing series, Buxton has images of some parties etched into his memory. He said:
“I remember China one year, they built like a city on the river out of bamboo, and it cost them like a million dollars just for like a one-night party before they started winning the races and taking the sport really seriously and winning championships.
“Red Bull threw Sunday night after the Grand Prix, the wildest parties. My twenties were basically sponsored by Red Bull.”
Buxton highlighted how the budgets of after-race parties had no limits, a reflection of F1’s lavish party culture that is being carried forward even today. He added:
“There was unlimited money in those early 2000s for events, and it was usually the tobacco companies or the alcohol brands or whoever that were throwing money at it, but it felt very plentiful, and yet, the sport today is far richer, and the cars are worth more.”
Red Bull witnessed its most successful era in F1 after the 2021 season with Max Verstappen, as it cracked the formula for a dominant ground-effect car that was introduced in 2022.
In 2023, Red Bull won 21 out of the 22 Grands Prix, showcasing its superiority that will be remembered throughout the sport’s history.
Unfortunately, a lot has changed within the Milton Keynes-based team in the last year. From the team members to the cars, Red Bull has been facing a turbulent period of transformation. However, it could be only a matter of time before the team hands Verstappen a car fast enough to beat Mercedes.
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