Leeds United trio take on Red Bull F1 car on Elland Road pitch as Ramazani backs team-mate
Three Leeds United players have taken on a Red Bull Racing F1 car in a ‘drag race’ on the Elland Road pitch with the club sponsor and co-owners claiming a somewhat hollow victory.
Red Bull are understood to hold an approximate 10 per cent share of the club after agreeing a minority ownership deal in conjunction with a lucrative, multi-year shirt sponsorship this time last year.
The idea for a race was dreamt up by Leeds players who attended the 2024 Silverstone Grand Prix as guests of Red Bull. Skipper Ethan Ampadu, winger Daniel James and the now departed duo Georginio Rutter and Glen Kamara met up with Red Bull driver Max Verstappen at last summer’s British Grand Prix and presented the Dutchman with a Leeds United shirt bearing his name. Discussion turned to whether or not an F1 car could be beaten on grass, if the car had to complete a 180-degree turn.
Fast forward to this summer and Willy Gnonto, Largie Ramazani and Isaac Schmidt were chosen to line up alongside a Red Bull F1 car, driven by F2 driver Arvid Lindblad, on the pitch at Elland Road. The race involved a sprint from one penalty box to the other and back. Though Gnonto, Ramazani and Schmidt made the quicker start as the car struggled for grip on the pitch with its wet tyres, the trio of wide players were caught at the far penalty box and after the turn Lindblad took the win by around 30 yards.
As Ramazani pointed out, however, the Leeds racing team was without its fastest runner. James struggled with a hamstring injury at the back end of the season and sat with the fans for the title-clinching win at Plymouth Argyle on the final day. He has since joined up with Wales for their June internationals but was not fit to race when Red Bull Racing visited Elland Road.
“This was a great experience, I wish we could do this every day with Red Bull,” said Ramazani. “The only thing better would be getting in the car. I love F1. I went to the Monaco Grand Prix last week, which was a bucket list moment for me. I used to play F1 games on the console when I was younger, so it was surreal to be next to a real car and race against it.
“Before the race I was scared, but I was confident too. I think we did great, but in the end the car was just too quick. I think one of the players involved in this idea was Dan James. Unfortunately, he’s been injured, but I’d back my teammate over that car any day. DJ would smoke this car.”
Lindblad added: “Ahead of the race I was a bit nervous. I’d never driven on grass and had no idea how it would go. The car has a ton of horsepower and there is not much grip on grass, so I wasn’t sure if I could go full throttle and turn the car properly. It was great fun to challenge my skills and compete against other sports people. I admire what Leeds have done this year and wish them well for next season too.”