Former Formula 1 driver David Coulthard is in Sarajevo to participate in the Red Bull Show Run, set to take place tomorrow. Coulthard will drive a Formula 1 car along the route from Marijin Dvor to the Technical School, passing by the National Museum of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The 53-year-old Scotsman arrived yesterday in the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina and spoke with Haris Mrkonja.

“The weather is beautiful. I had a short drive from the airport to the Showrun location. I was warmly welcomed and can't wait to learn more about the city. I've known about Sarajevo through my personal curiosity, but I've never been here. So, as much as I'm here to do what we'll do on Sunday, I'm also curious to explore, try local cuisine, meet people, and see if I can say ‘Yes, I'd come back,'” Coulthard told N1.

For those unfamiliar with the Red Bull Show Run, what can they expect?

“It's a great way to introduce people to the event. I think most people have heard of Formula 1, even if they're not fans of the sport. Some may think it's too complicated, too tough, too expensive to attend, but what's fantastic about the Red Bull Show Run is that it brings a Formula 1 car to the local market. This is a car that won the World Championship in the year when Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber drove for Red Bull. We set the car in the middle of the city, not as a display model but to drive it, so you see it, hear it. We have other Red Bull athletes coming with drift cars, motorcycles, making it a real show invested in over the years by Red Bull. It's also a big opportunity for me, honestly, to jump into a Grand Prix car, to remember the feel, speed, performance. You know, I work as a commentator in Formula 1 today, but with time it's easy to forget what it feels like to be in a race car. Every time I jump in, I feel the vibrations through my body, all senses awaken, and we end up putting on a show,” the legendary driver emphasized.

What's so special about this car when you sit in it, particularly this specific model?

“It was a very well ‘packaged’ high-performance car. For what we're doing here, we don't rely on downforce and cornering speed. It's more about showing how the car looks and sounds. We want to do donuts and burn rubber. But this was the best car of its era. If you look at it closely, you'll see well-thought-out design elements. A successful car, especially a Formula 1 car, but it could be any car through history, say a Mini, or a Beetle, Aston Martin, Ferrari, whatever car you have in mind. You never get tired of those cars; they never become ugly in your eyes because they take you back to an era when it was the best of the technology available. I think it's like music: Today's music isn't better than when Beethoven composed symphonies. Today is just as good as then, but music is different in production and in the way of thinking and discovering what technology allows, but it's still brilliant and to be respected.”

“Sport doesn't require an aeronautics degree”

Coulthard also explained how the process of becoming part of an F1 team works.

“The reality is that much in this sport doesn't require an aeronautics degree. You can be a mechanic, but you need to show practical knowledge and desire and start from the roots. Most racing happens in central Europe, and the home of Formula 1 racing is the UK. I know not everyone can go there, but for those who can, go there, knock on the teams’ doors. It might be hard to get into a Formula 1 team right away, because as a driver, you don't go straight to Formula 1, but there are so many junior teams. There are stories of people who rose to very high levels in the sport, starting by cleaning floors in a small Formula 3 team. No job is too small if you're part of a team. Everyone in the team needs to be ready when difficulties come. So my advice would be not to think you'll get into Formula 1 right away. You have to prove yourself in lower formulas. For drivers, that's karting. Personally, I don't think being a karting champion guarantees success later because we have so many successful karting drivers who transition to cars, and it's so different in dynamics, like comparing squash and tennis. The world champion in squash would beat the Wimbledon champion on a squash court, and the tennis player would win on a tennis court, and that will never change. It's so specific. It's still a racket and ball, but you have to be a student of what you do, and today we don't have very successful athletes in multiple disciplines.”

Do you have a favorite era in Formula 1? I assume it's the one you raced in?

“I want to say my favorite era will be the next one because I love this life, and I like that things are different, that things evolve and change. I don't want to be the person who sits and says, ‘it was better before,’ because that's a very backward way to live life. I'm 53 years old. Obviously, I've changed from when I was 33 or 23, but I can't change the fact that I'm a human being living in this moment. But what I can do is accept the opportunity, embrace and live it, squeeze all the fun out of it until it's gone. If I look at the period when I was racing, I'll say I enjoyed it. It was a different challenge from today, but the spirit of Formula 1 has always remained the same. It doesn't matter if it's the 1950s when they had leather caps and motorcycle suits. Some wore bow ties, or whether it's Max, Lewis, Charles driving today. The challenge is the same. You need a team to design and build a race car, put it on the track, give it to the driver and anxiously wait to see the lap time, hoping, when you're leading, that there won't be problems and you'll win the Grand Prix.”

“246 races, 19 wins, 62 podiums”

Yesterday, Coulthard arrived in the capital of BiH, where he and the rest of the Red Bull Racing team will create a memorable spectacle. Coulthard's F1 career spanned from 1994 to 2008, during which he drove for Williams, McLaren, and Red Bull Racing. The popular DC made a significant contribution to Red Bull Racing's growth into a championship team and remained part of the large and successful family even after his career ended. Statistically, David participated in 246 races, scored 13 wins, 62 podiums, 12 pole positions, 18 fastest laps, and a total of 535 points.

His Red Bull Racing F1 car, which arrived earlier this week, awaits him and which the famous Briton will drive on Sunday in front of thousands of spectators. Popular DC will don his suit and sit in the cockpit of the RB7, one of the most dominant cars in Formula 1 history. This car brought Red Bull Racing the drivers’ and constructors’ titles in 2011, and thanks to Red Bull, it will be seen by a large audience in Sarajevo and hear its deafening sound.

David and the RB7 will undoubtedly be the stars of the Red Bull Showrun, but the audience will also enjoy stunts by Arunas Gibieža on his motorcycle and performances by the Red Bull Driftbrothers.

The pieces are falling into place for an unforgettable spectacle, and entry is free. The audience can watch the events on the track set up between Marijin Dvor and the Technical School, near the National Museum of Bosnia and Herzegovina, from the fence and the already sold-out stands, so don't miss the chance for a unique experience.

However, those who won't be in Sarajevo on June 9 can follow the Red Bull Showrun via a TV broadcast on Sport Klub.