Canada’s Red Bull girl not allowed into Brazil
Red Bull’s paddock girls, or Formula Unas to give them their proper name, show up at every grand prix and do a very good job of making the pit lane a prettier place.
At Brazil, the “winning” Formula Una from each grand prix (translation: the hottest local girl at each race) is invited by Red Bull to attend an end-of-season party. All of the Unas made it to Interlagos… except one.
Montreal’s Formula Una - better known as 19-year-old Katrina Lesko - required a visa to be allowed into Brazil. So Red Bull informed her that she should get her paperwork sorted. She duly obliged.
But when Lesko transferred from Montreal to Washington on Wednesday, and was asked to present her visa for Brazil, the immigration officer refused to let her get on the plane to Sao Paulo. Why? It might have something to do with the fact that Lesko pulled out a brand-new Visa credit card.
She never made it to Brazil. True story.
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The girls of the F1 Brazilian Grand Prix
8 responses so far
1 jelena // Nov 3, 2008 at 5:12 pm
omg on waaaay
2 Christopher Olimpo // Nov 4, 2008 at 1:24 am
“omg on waaaay”, is right; there is “no” way that this happened. Although I do find the story brilliant. “The stereotypical ditz confuses a “visa” for a credit card”. That was not the case.
As the name over this message reads, my name is Christopher Olimpo and I am one of Katrina’s closest friends. I was present at Pierre Elliot Trudeau airport with Katrina along with her mother on monday when we both accompanied her for the simple fact that she would be missed for the 8 days she was supposed to be gone having fun with the other Unas. Not being made fun of and misinterpreted by the media. Katrina kept in contact with me throughout the entire event (I was practically there) and I know for a fact she did not confuse the literal meaning of “visa”. What actually happened was an understandable mix up. Red Bull did not stress the fact that she needed to acquire the proper documentation so she simply didn’t know she needed one. She was then stranded in Washington, contacting the embassy, who could not seem to help, and Red Bull itself who tried, yet similarly, could not help. She was forced to stay at a hotel, heart broken at the lost opportunity.
Trina is a brilliant young woman attending JMSB at Concordia University. She is hard working and never seems to drop her smile, no matter the situation; probably why she was chosen to represent Canada. People are all entitled to mistakes. As this would have been her first time traveling alone to a foreign country while leaving behind school and work, and as it wasn’t entirely her fault she couldn’t obtain a proper visa, it should at least be understandable.
So before people like you, including yourself, try and ridicule a 19 year old woman, with so much to worry about already, and who is trying to stay positive, get your facts straight. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t blame you for passing on this rumor onto the internet, and I think its understandable that the media much rather believe in gossip and rumors instead of researching actual fact (the people they are reaching out to and making money from much rather be entertained then hear another boring story). We all know deep down that its wrong. The readers, the messengers, the bloggers and the creative kid who came up with the rumor all chuckle at this fictional “stupid girl” but all know that what they are thinking is wrong.
Behind this story is an actual girl who is home, surprised that people are even talking about her in foreign countries. She is trying to be as strong as she usually is by not letting what people say get to her, but can’t help but feel hurt. Can anyone blame her, it is only human when you are being falsely accused by a large mass of people to feel disappointed.
The point I’m getting at is that Katrina’s other close friends, her family and I would all appreciate it if you would all, in a mature and respectable manner, let this story go and accept the truth.
3 Osmodious // Nov 4, 2008 at 6:29 am
Unfortunately, through the way things are presented and the particular angle that the press deems more likely to catch eyes, these days whatever ‘the story’ is becomes ‘the truth’. Sorry, but that’s just the way it is. You can ignore it or go with it, but don’t bother trying to fight it…
4 Joanna // Nov 4, 2008 at 11:01 pm
Good going Chris! Katrina didn’t need negative international publicity; she was already greatly saddened by the fact that she missed a highly anticipated event.
Another sad fact is that the truth is hardly ever as appetizing as some exaggerated tabloid version of it.
Katrina is a very mature and responsible young lady who simply did not know she needed a visa.
Katrina did NOT apply for a Visa credit card before her trip to Brazil, and she also did NOT proudly present this card upon trying to board United Airlines.
To all of you journalists who earn your bread and butter sensationalizing otherwise ordinary daily events, please remember that some of these daily “ordinary”events have an actual human being behind them.
Katrina, you can continue to walk with your head held high….Joanna
5 Brian // Nov 21, 2008 at 5:41 pm
I’m sure that “the hottest local girl at each race” is “brilliant” because I read that she attends a college. Wow.
And this party was SO important, like a summit of nations’ leaders.
It was so important to the “very mature and responsible young lady” that she didn’t care to ask Brazil for a tourist visa before flying toward Brazil.
She’s “brilliant,” indeed.
6 Joanna // Nov 21, 2008 at 11:23 pm
“Brilliant Brian”!
YOU are very lucky indeed to have “travel experience” in your portfolio.
We should all be so blessed.
7 SpadesCardGame // Mar 9, 2009 at 8:11 pm
and then what happens?
8 Joanna // Mar 10, 2009 at 8:38 pm
Life goes on it’s merry way…