Skip to Content
Streetsblog New York City home
Streetsblog New York City home
Log In
Ad Nauseam

Red Bull Racing Lives the Urban Car Marketer’s Sociopathic Dream

There are a lot of gasp-inducing moments in Red Bull Racing's new video to promote the Formula One Grand Prix of America, scheduled for Weehawken and Union City in June 2013.

First, there's the introduction: the national anthem being played by the dulcet tones of a revving engine. Then there are shots of the driver speeding along the walkway at Liberty State Park and through the streets of Weehawken, before heading down an empty Lincoln Tunnel to really open up the throttle.

The Lincoln Tunnel shots are spliced with images of crowded Manhattan streets -- implying, but not actually showing, the danger of a high-speed tour of the Big Apple. Then there's the finale: a Formula One driver burning rubber and doing donuts as two cyclists circle around him in what might be a bizarre share-the-road message.

It's a video that lots of carmakers would drool over as a way to sell their driving machines.

According to the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, the shoot occurred on August 13 and 14, closing the Liberty State Park waterfront walkway to the public. We've reached out to the Township of Weehawken Police Department and Red Bull Racing for additional comment on how the video was shot.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog New York City

Q&A: Will The Bronx’s New Council Member Take On Car Culture?

Union leader Shirley Aldebol took on Republican Kristy Marmorato and won — and now she's ready to fight for better transit and safer streets.

November 7, 2025

Friday Video: The Utopia of London’s Low-Traffic Neighborhoods

Streetsfilms follows an urban planner around the “low-traffic neighborhood” of St. Peter’s in the London borough of Islington.

November 7, 2025

Friday’s Headlines: Movie Night Edition

Check out the Bike Film Festival this weekend. Plus other news.

November 7, 2025

SLAUGHTER: Wrong-Way Van Driver Kills Woman in West Village Crosswalk

The driver of a commercial van struck and killed a woman in her 20s as he drove the wrong way on Morton Street.

November 6, 2025

DECISION 2025: Transit Wins Big — Again — Across America

Several candidates who ran on ambitious transportation reform platforms won at the ballot box on Tuesday — but even more communities said yes to supporting transit directly.

November 6, 2025

Book Excerpt Special: The Incomplete Freeway Revolt

A new book looks at the destructive 20th-century urban development style — freeways, downtown office towers, suburban housing developments — that keeps Americans so dependent on their cars. Here's an excerpt.

November 6, 2025
See all posts