World-Class Athletes Celebrate Reopening of Red Bull Hangar-7 With Dazzling Display of Speed, Skill and Sport
- Jul 15, 2025
- 3 min read
The newly renovated Red Bull Hangar-7 roared back to life with a celebration of elite athleticism, mechanical mastery, and airborne artistry, as some of the world’s best athletes turned the iconic glass-and-steel landmark into a high-octane playground.
The 80/20 Snapshot:
Star-Studded Motorsport Show: Max Verstappen, Dani Pedrosa, and Connor Zilisch headlined a live motorsport showcase on the Salzburg Airport runway - featuring F1, MotoGP, Dakar Rally, NASCAR, and drifting machines in drag races and burnouts.
Aerial Display: The Flying Bulls performed high-precision stunts with vintage aircraft like the P-38 Lightning and B-25 Mitchell, fulfilling a long-held dream to fly a show at their home base.
Top Talent Across Disciplines: From bike tricks to freestyle football and dance, world-class athletes turned Hangar-7 into a lively playground of skill and creativity.
Multi-Sensory Finale: DJ duo Lucas Pinheiro Braathen and DJ Rampa entertained guests with an electrifying set inside the newly renovated glass-and-steel landmark, capping off a celebration of sport, speed, and spectacle.
Deep Dive
The Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe cycling team opened the show on the tarmac of the adjacent Salzburg Airport, spearheaded by Nico Denz, fresh from his victory in Stage 18 of this year’s Giro d’Italia. Against the backdrop of the Alps, the cyclists cut a striking figure, marking the beginning of an evening where sport met spectacle.
The action quickly escalated as the runway was transformed into a live motorsport arena. In a rare coming-together of global racing disciplines, Formula 1 World Champion Max Verstappen, MotoGP legend Dani Pedrosa, Dakar Rally stars Daniel Sanders, Nani Roma and Mattias Ekström, drifting virtuoso Mad Mike, spinning ace SamSam - performing outside his native South Africa for the first time -, and NASCAR talent Connor Zilisch each brought their machines to life.
From the RB8 Formula 1 car and KTM’s MotoGP and Dakar bikes, to a NASCAR beast, the M-Sport WRC Puma, and the Ford Raptor T1+, the display featured an unparalleled variety of racing technology. Each vehicle was introduced with its signature flair - wheelies, burnouts, and tight spins - before engaging in lap runs on the tarmac. A drag race along the airstrip served as the event’s motorsport highlight, concluding with coordinated burnouts in front of spectators.
Max Verstappen said: “In F1, back in the day, they would do a lot of straight-line testing on an airfield, but for me it was the first time driving at an airport with a Formula One car.”
“Going full throttle across the runway, right in front of Hangar-7, was a unique experience,” said Dani Pedrosa, the three-time world champion. “It’s a place with special energy, and that’s exactly what you feel every second.”
Connor Zilisch shared: “I’m American, and the NASCAR is basically 'America in a car.' It’s super cool to have a NASCAR in Europe, and getting to share this moment with everybody and bring a little bit of American racing culture to a different part of the world."
In the sky, the Flying Bulls delivered a complex aerial display, blending aerobatic finesse with aviation heritage. Aircraft such as the Lockheed P-38 Lightning, North American B-25J Mitchell, F4U-4 Corsair, and Alpha Jet performed formation fly-bys, barrel rolls, and precision loops, while helicopters and skydivers added further dimension to the airborne programme.
“It has always been our dream to fly an airshow right here at our home base,” said Eskil Amdal, CEO and pilot of the Flying Bulls. “So close to the audience, so close to our story – that was a very special moment for the whole team.”
On the ground, Bike-Trial and Mountainbike great Thomas Öhler and the world's best BMX flatlander Matthias Dandois displayed technical brilliance on two wheels, while freestyle footballer Sean Garnier, breakers from the Red Bull BC One Crew, and Freestyle tennis pioneer Stefan Bojic brought rhythm and intensity to the stage inside Hangar-7.
Later, alpine skiing star-turned-DJ Lucas Pinheiro Braathen took to the decks, joining forces with German music producer and DJ Rampa to deliver a high-energy set, adding yet another layer to the night’s multi-sensory experience.
Hangar-7 is a familiar location to the Brazilian-Norwegian athlete, as he explained: “I announced my comeback to alpine ski racing out of the very plane that stands in front of me right now. So Hangar-7 is a special place to me.”
While Hangar-7’s architectural renewal ushers in a new chapter for the Salzburg landmark, it was the athletes - on tarmac, in the air, and on stage - who made the reopening celebration a collision of sport, speed, and spirit.