Author: Jakub Winiewski, Red Bull

In this article:

• Pursuit duel – something we’ve never seen before

• Donut Show - who can spin the most?

• Mad Mike and his Bullet will also put on a show!

• Paddock unlocked, additional attractions on the promenade

• Kuba Przygoński and Natan Czyżewski – the project finale

• Icing on the cake – the Drift Masters season finale

During the Drift Masters season finale at Poland’s PGE Narodowy in Warsaw on September 11–12, fans will get to witness two Red Bull RB7s in action. These cars hold legendary status in motorsport history. In the 2011 Formula One season, they won just about everything there was to win. Across 19 Grands Prix, Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber stormed to 18 pole positions and claimed 12 race victories. Those results secured Red Bull its second consecutive Constructors’ Championship, while Vettel claimed his second Drivers’ title. Taking the wheel as part of the special attractions at the stadium in Warsaw are Christian Klien, a former F1 driver (2004–2006 and 2010), and Patrick Friesacher, long-time Red Bull showrun driver.

Weighing roughly 740kg in race spec, these RB7s pack a punch with 750 hp V8 engines – more than enough to push them well beyond 300 km/h. Thanks to their blown diffusers, they took sharp corners flat-out. The extreme G-forces generated were a test even for professional racers, let alone ordinary mortals who would be knocked out cold.

So, what can fans expect from this September weekend in Warsaw alongside the F1 cars?

The showrun version of the RB7 car

© Red Bull Content Pool

The cars taking to the PGE Narodowy track feature showrun modifications (primarily tweaked cooling systems and KERS removed), but their racing soul remains untouched. In fact, they retain their original race engines and every component required to activate the exhaust-blown diffuser. With Klien and Friesacher at the helm, the two beasts will go head-to-head in a showrun pursuit race. The Visa Cash App Racing Bulls and Oracle Red Bull Racing cars will line up at opposite ends of the track before launching simultaneously – we’ll find out which driver can close the gap on their rival over several laps of the extremely tight track (exact lap count to be decided during on-site practice).

© Red Bull Content Pool

Spinning doughnuts in an F1 car is usually reserved for championship title celebrations – who could forget Sebastian Vettel burning rubber to celebrate yet another victory? But at the Red Bull Drift Masters Grand Finale, it won’t be about celebrating – it’ll be a form of a cheeky battle. Who can lay down more doughnuts in just 15 seconds: an F1 car or a drift car? We’ll find out from the stands of PGE Narodowy. F1 drivers will take the wheel of the single-seaters, while on the other side we’ll see another show headliner: Mad Mike.

© Red Bull Content Pool

Petrolheads gathered at PGE Narodowy are in for a double treat – besides the F1 cars, they’ll get a chance to admire another incredible vehicle: the Bullet. Its creator and owner is Michael Brandon Whiddett, better known as Mad Mike – the New Zealand driver famous for his spectacular drifting in all kinds of machines. For the legendary Pikes Peak event, Mad Mike transformed a standard road-going Mazda MX-3 into a rear-wheel-drive monster, powered by a custom twin-turbo 4-rotor Wankel engine pumping out a staggering 1,400 hp. The setup is so massive that the radiator had to be relocated to the trunk. The year-long build resulted in a car that shattered the 101-year-old Pikes Peak record for Wankel engine vehicles, making it the fastest Mazda ever to compete in the event.

At PGE Narodowy, Mad Mike will show exactly what this extraordinary machine is made of. He’ll take part in the “Donut Show” battle and push the Bullet to its limits around the track.

© Red Bull Content Pool

Not only will all these machines roar into action on track, but fans will also get to inspect them up close in the paddock. This is a rare opportunity to check out every detail of an F1 car alongside the drift cars of the world's elite drivers, all in one place. Beyond the paddock (separate ticket required), it’s worth taking a stroll down the main promenade packed with partner activations and team merch booths. Inside the Red Bull zones, you can test your skills on sim-racing rigs or challenge your friends to… an F1 pit stop wheel change on a special simulator.

Fans gathered at the national stadium in Warsaw on Saturday will also witness the finale of "From the Used Car Market to PGE Narodowy”, a project by Kuba Przygoński and Natan Czyżewski. All summer long, fans followed Natan’s journey as he built a drift car and learned the art of sideways driving under the guidance of the champion. At the Red Bull Drift Masters Grand Finale, the completed BMW E46 will be officially unveiled, and Natan will take to the track to showcase the results of weeks of work and training.

The project documents the entire journey: from purchasing a second-hand BMW, through converting it into a pro-spec drift car, all the way to its debut on Europe’s biggest drifting stage.

The F1 cars and the incredible Bullet will turn up the heat before the main course: the Drift Masters season finale. It all comes down to PGE Narodowy, where the 2026 Champion will be crowned. The man in pole position to take the title is five-time Drift Masters Champion Piotr Więcek, who currently leads the standings with 436 points. Just 22 points behind is Paweł Korpuliński. Besides the Polish duo, the list of contenders includes two Irishmen: Conor Shanahan (370 points) and James Deane (337 points).

Will Piotr Więcek claim his sixth title? Can Paweł Korpuliński secure his very first? Or will one of the Irish drivers pull off a surprise comeback? It will all be decided on September 11–12 at PGE Narodowy in Warsaw. Tickets are still available at ebilet.pl. You can also watch the action unfold live on Red Bull TV.