Red Bull Moto Jam has positioned India back on the global Formula One showcase map, as Arvid Lindblad has driven a VCARB-wrapped RB8 in Delhi NCR ahead of his F1 debut.
The second edition of the motorsport festival has taken place on March 3 at the India Expo Centre, Noida. Lindblad has driven Sebastian Vettel’s 2012 World Championship-winning RB8, presented in Visa Cash App Racing Bulls (VCARB) livery, marking the return of an F1 car to Indian audiences.
The showcase has signalled a renewed brand play in India, a market that previously hosted three Formula One Grands Prix and has remained commercially significant for global sports properties.
Ahead of the Delhi event, former F1 driver Karun Chandhok has taken the VCARB-branded RB8 to the Buddh International Circuit, marking the first time in 13 years that a Formula One car has run at the venue. The move has reactivated the circuit’s F1 recall value while building pre-event visibility.
Red Bull has designed the event as a multi-discipline motorsport spectacle, integrating drifting, freestyle motocross and stunt performances alongside the F1 showcase.
As part of Holi celebrations, the RB8 has released coloured powder (gulal) into the air, a format previously seen at Red Bull Showruns in India. The execution has blended global motorsport IP with local cultural symbolism, positioning the spectacle as both performance and festival moment.
Lindblad, the third-ever F1 driver with Indian heritage, returned to India a week before his F1 debut. His appearance has added a localisation layer to the activation, linking identity, heritage and sport.
The VCARB branding on the RB8 has amplified awareness for Visa Cash App Racing Bulls in India, serving as a pre-season narrative push ahead of the Melbourne race weekend.
The event has also brought together a cross-category sponsor mix including OnePlus, Duolingo English Test, Fastrack, Zepto, Confluent, Bisleri, BookMyShow, Dream Set Go, ExpoInn and Laqshya Media Group. The presence of tech, beverage, ticketing and commerce brands has reinforced Moto Jam as a partner-led experiential property rather than a standalone exhibition.
Alongside Lindblad, athletes including Abdo Feghali (drifting), Aras Gibieza (stunt biking), Abdulrahman AlRaeesi (stunt riding), Roman Karymov (motocross), Sebastian Westberg and Greg Rowbottom (freestyle motocross) have participated in the showcase, broadening audience appeal beyond Formula One.
With F1’s legacy footprint in India and rising youth engagement in motorsport content, the activation has positioned Red Bull at the intersection of sport, culture and brand amplification.
Arvid Lindblad said, “It was such a unique opportunity to be part of the Red Bull Moto Jam event and be able to drive a F1 car in India. Having the chance to be behind the wheel in this country, whose culture truly shaped me during my childhood, was really special. From kicking off the weekend by visiting the historical India Gate in Delhi to seeing all the fans cheering for me during the exhibition, it was such a nice moment. I hope they had a great time. A huge thank you to everyone involved; there couldn’t have been a better way to kick off my F1 season before going to Melbourne next week.”
