On November 17, 2022, Oracle Red Bull Racing, in conjunction with its Principal Team Partner, Bybit, and Azuki creator, Chiru Labs announced that they will be displaying an NFT on their team cars for the F1 season finale in Abu Dhabi.
This is a huge milestone for Oracle Red Bull Racing, its partners Bybit and Chiru Labs, and Formula 1 as a whole, as this will be the first in the history of the sport that a team features an NFT on their cars.
When speaking about the announcement, Christian Horner, the Team Principal and CEO of Oracle Red Bull Racing stated, “The nature of our sport means we are always pushing boundaries, and to be the first to put a blue-chip NFT on a Formula One car is a tremendous feat.”
The NFT named Lei the Lighting Azuki will be riding along with both Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez as they attempt to cap off their record-breaking season with one final victory.
Lei the Lightning Azuki builds upon the IP of Azuki #8494 which is an original Azuki from the anime-inspired collection created by Chiru Labs, and it symbolizes the transcending of the real and virtual worlds.
The character is a bold and tenacious racer with unrivaled drive and focus. When it crosses into the magical world called The Garden, it gains the ability to harness the power of lightning to increase its speed and power while racing, making the NFT a perfect match to represent Oracle Red Bull Racing.
This announcement also emphasizes the diversity of all of the partners involved in the creation of this innovative project which includes Bybit, a leading cryptocurrency exchange, and Chiru Labs which creates NFTS and digital brands.
“Our partnership with Bybit and Azuki has been an ideal way to help us explore the Web3 world,” Christian Horner said. “In many ways, it’s been an eye-opener for us to the vast opportunities Web3 has to offer. This unique project is the perfect combination of creativity, innovation, and passion which matches our ethos on the track.”
To commemorate the historical season, fans of the team will also have the chance to own a limited-edition version of the NFT which will be minted on the Tezos blockchain and made available for free on a first-come, first-serve basis.
Ben Zhou, co-founder and CEO of Bybit stated, “This is a unique piece of artwork and a timeless moment. We anticipate exciting things from this unique collaboration and Lei the Lightning Azuki. He’s such a striking character and a bridge linking the racing, crypto, and NFT communities. We know they are all going to jump at the chance to own a piece of history.”
The available 8,494 Lei the Lightning NFTs will be minted for free on the Bybit NFT marketplace starting November 20, 2022. One of up to 7,700 of these NFTs will be available for those who preregister on Bybit’s website starting at 9 AM on Nov. 17, 2022, until 8 PM on Nov. 19, 2022.
For more information, you can visit Bybit at https://www.bybit.com/
