David Merlini is his real name. Any resemblance to Merlin the magician is purely coincidental, but he is considered the spiritual heir of Harry Houdini, the legendary escape artist of the early 20th century, also born in Budapest, albeit 104 years earlier.
The stunt: Merlini was lowered into a tank on the Sakhir start line by a small crane, his aim to spend as much time as possible underwater without breathing, remaining entirely visible from beginning to end. The target was to beat his own world record from last year of 20 minutes 39 seconds and to push past 21 minutes.
A who’s who of Formula One stood by in amazement watching the time tick by without any visible sign of Merlini surfacing: Formula One Management CEO Bernie Ecclestone, Virgin chief Richard Branson, Toyota team President John Howett, Red Bull team principal Christian Horner, drivers Nico Rosberg, Sebastian Vettel, Jarno Trulli and Timo Glock were all baffled bystanders to the unbelievable performance.
As the seconds moved past the 20:39 mark the spectators on the track and the fans in the stands started to clap and there was a breathtaking wave of applause when Merlini finally emerged from the tank after 21 minutes and 12 seconds.
“Since the age of four I am attracted to everything that is unusual - and since I was a child my biggest dream was to be as free as a fish in the water,” said Merlini. “Since a very early age I’ve spent almost 30 percent of my time in water - and this is the result. Water is one of the most important elements of my life.”
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