When F1 first took on Mount Panorama

Next year’s LIQUI MOLY Bathurst 12 Hour will feature a rare appearance of a Formula 1 car around Mount Panorama.

It was announced Thursday that Oracle Red Bull Racing will deploy its title-winning RB7 at the February 3-5 event.

The RB7 won the drivers’ and constructors’ championships in 2011.

It was that year that a modern F1 car first took to Mount Panorama at the hands of two modern-day greats.

Prior to the 2011 Australian Grand Prix, Jenson Button and Craig Lowndes had a ride swap.

Button first drove McLaren’s MP4-23, which won the 2008 drivers’ title courtesy of Lewis Hamilton.

Lowndes — then the reigning Bathurst champion — paced his TeamVodafone Triple Eight Commodore.

The two drivers then swapped cars, the Commodore complete wth Button’s name on the window.

As will be the case in February, Button wasn't deployed to set an out-and-out lap record, but to thrill onlookers.

He still clocked a remarkable 1:48.8s lap, but he later admitted he needed a full day to get the most of the famous circuit.

“The most important thing for me is to go and have some fun,” Button said on the day.

"To look back on the footage of a Formula 1 car going around here will be amazing.

“There’s a couple of corners where every time I got there, I thought I was in the right place — and you’re not.

“But that’s what makes it such a special circuit. Most circuits I go to, I can pick up within two laps.

“Here, you can see it taking half a day.”

As of 2022, the MP4-23 is McLaren’s most recent title-winning car.

Red Bull brings with it even more profile as the current drivers’ and constrcutors’ world champons.

The Red Bull team and cars will be accessible to the public via their location in the Bathurst 12 Hour paddock.

The paddock is free to access for all ticketholders at the event.

The driver to pilot the Oracle Red Bull Racing F1 car will be announced in the new year.

Further details regarding the on-track schedule and off-track activation surrounding the team's presence will also be announced early in 2023.

Tickets for the 2023 LIQUI MOLY Bathurst 12 Hour are on sale now on Ticketek.com.

Camping for the 2023 event is also on sale.