As early as 2007, the South African rugby icon Bryan Habana drove a real cheetah in a watchful “Man Vs. Beast” competition to test the human speed against nature that he ultimately lost.
Fast lead until 2025 and Leeds United have reinterpreted the concept-with a high octos.
In an unexpected collaboration with Red Bull Racing, three of the fastest players from Leeds United -Willy Gnonto, Largie Ramazani and Isaac Schmidt -recorded a formula -1 car in a showdown “Man vs. Machine” on the Elall -Road Pitch. The car was driven by increasing F2 star Arvid Lindblad.
The format was simple: both players and the car had to complete two rounds over the length of the field, from one edge of the penalty area to another and back again.
So who won? The car – but only from the slimest edges.
Thanks to the smooth grass surface and the sharp 180-degree curves, the F1 car fought for traction and gave the Leeds trio a real chance. In the end, the machine replaced the race straight and crossed the finish line hardly for a second in front of the players.
Ramazani thought about the challenge and said: “This was a great experience. I wish we could do this every day with Red Bull. The only thing that would rise better in the car. I love F1. I went to the Grand Prix of Monaco last week, which was a moment of the bucket list.”
Lindblad added: “Before the race, I was a bit nervous. I had never driven on grass and had no idea how it would work. The car had a lot of horsepower and there is not much grip on the grass, so I wasn’t sure if I could go full gas and turn the car really fun.”
Regardless of whether it is a cheetah or a carbon fiber machine, one thing is clear: as fast as we are, we are only one step back. But it is in the chase – be it against beast or machine – that we find the thrill.
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