F1 Driver Patrick Friesacher Beats Apple Maps in Red Bull Challenge

Patrick Friesacher drove a 2011 championship-winning Red Bull Formula 1 car across Ireland's Caha-Pass in 19 minutes and 54 seconds, beating an Apple Maps estimate by ten minutes.

Driving the RB7 Across Southwest Ireland

Apple Maps calculates that the 27-kilometer route from Glengarriff to Kenmare in southwest Ireland takes 30 minutes under standard conditions. Friesacher took command of the Red Bull RB7—the exact chassis Sebastian Vettel drove to his 2011 world championship, during which Vettel won 11 races and secured 15 pole positions—to test that projection.

Red Bull Ireland published video footage of the challenge, which was divided into three distinct segments. The run began in Glengarriff, climbed over the Caha-Pass along the border of Cork and Kerry counties, and finished in Kenmare.

“I try to make it in under 20 minutes,” Friesacher said at the start of the run as a live countdown timer appeared on screen. The timer showed 12:29 remaining before the Caha-Pass and 8:53 ahead of the final leg into Kenmare, ultimately stopping at 19:54 to finish six seconds under his target.

Road Closures and Public Appearances in Cork

The National Road N71 between Kenmare and Glengarriff was closed off in sections on October 9 for the shoot, following advance announcements by County Cork. Friesacher noted on camera that all roadways were shut down, marshals were stationed along the route, and local police had been notified.

During the journey, the Bantry fire service halted the car in Glengarriff and at the Caha-Pass to pose for photographs with the driver. The mountain pass transit served as the opening event for the Red Bull Homerun in Cork.

The following day, Friesacher piloted the RB7 before a crowd exceeding 10,000 spectators along South Mall in the city center, accompanied by drift exhibitions from local driver Conor Shanahan. “That gives the people goosebumps,” Friesacher said of the audience reactions.

Friesacher and the RB7 Showcar History

The Austrian driver made 11 Formula 1 Grands Prix appearances for Minardi in 2005 and holds deep ties to Red Bull as the brand’s very first junior driver back in 1994. Today, he works as an instructor at the Red Bull Ring and frequently drives historical machines in exhibition events.

Friesacher has a history of driving in unconventional locations, having driven a modified Formula 1 car through a roughly five-kilometer underground section of the Madrid subway system in September. The RB7 chassis itself has a legacy of unique exhibition outings, including a 2016 appearance where Max Verstappen drove it equipped with snow chains up the Hahnenkamm in Kitzbühel.

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