Thursday 19th February 2004

Neel Jani became the first person to drive an F1 car in Bahrain when he took a Sauber for a spin on the streets of Manama. The inaugural Bahrain Grand Prix was held the same year and Jani’s stunt was aimed at drumming-up support among the locals. He hit speeds of nearly 185mph and clearly enjoyed the experience. “I’m very proud that I was the very first to drive a Formula One car in the Middle East and to show to the enthusiastic citizens what Formula One is all about,” said Jani. “It’s also the first time that I have ‘legally’ jumped a red light!”