An oddly interesting video appeared on my social media feed yesterday. The video was shot at Venice Beach Skatepark in Los Angeles, California. The footage focuses primarily on a skateboarder launching out of a bowl, nosegrabbing high in the air, and landing reasonably clean. All of this takes place in Jimi Hendrix’s Voodoo Child. It was a pretty sick clip, but something just looked out of place.

For two brief moments, a skater appeared in the foreground wearing what appeared to be the gear of a Formula 1 pit crew member. It’s not just the branded Nomex fireproof suit, but also the matching gloves and helmet. This skater is fully prepared to survive both a small crash and a pit stop burn unscathed. However, I don’t think the shoes have been homologated by the FIA.

The equipment can be easily identified as being from Red Bull Racing from the 2019 or 2020 Formula 1 season. On the left chest of the suit there is a Honda logo under the smoke logo, and there is no Honda lettering under the Red Bull logo as in the 2021 season. If the device is authentic, I can’t imagine how expensive this purchase was. The closest equivalent I can find for sale online is a 2014 Red Bull Racing crew suit for around $518.

The last thing I want to mention is that this is Los Angeles. While I jokingly tweeted that this proved F1 had made it in America, I really want to know how a Venice Beach skateboarder got hold of relatively new F1 pit lane gear and thought it was a good idea to wear it out to the skate park. I’m also worried about where someone in Formula 1 pit gear happens to show up next.