Leeds United players take on Oracle Red Bull Racing F1 car in drag race at Elland Road | OneFootball

Three of Leeds United’s fastest players, Willy Gnonto, Largie Ramazani and Isaac Schmidt, faced off against a Red Bull Racing F1 car, driven by F2 driver Arvid Lindblad, in a drag race on the Elland Road pitch. The race involved sprinting from one penalty box to the other and back to determine who was fastest on grass.

The idea was dreamt up by a group of the players who attended Red Bull Pole Position at the 2024 Silverstone Grand Prix and thought they might be able to beat the car if a few obstacles were added, such as racing on grass and the car having to complete a 180-degree turn.

The race was closely fought, with the Leeds United players getting the quicker start as the car struggled for grip on the Elland Road grass with its wet tyres. But after a slow getaway, Red Bull’s RB7 roared into action, catching the players at the opposite penalty box. A smooth turn from Lindblad allowed him to cruise to victory by around 30 yards.

Commenting on the race, Leeds United’s Largie Ramazani said: “This was a great experience, I wish we could do this every day with Red Bull. 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!”

Arvid Lindblad commented: “Ahead of the race I was a bit nervous. I’d never driven on grass and had no idea how it would go – only Red Bull would make something like this happen! 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 footballers rather than other drivers.”

The players had the chance to get their retribution in an agility test, as well as finding out whether the RB7 had what it takes from 12 yards in front of the South Stand. Ensure to follow Leeds United and Red Bull UK to see the outcome.