October 22, Austin, Texas (Reuters) – The championship-winning Red Bull team and Formula One expressed their condolences on
Saturday following the 78-year-old Austrian founder of the energy drink firm Dietrich Mateschitz’s passing.
Prior to qualifying for the U.S. Grand Prix in Austin, Texas, where the team has the opportunity to win a sixth constructors’
championship, Red Bull Racing principal Christian Horner made the announcement.
Max Verstappen of Red Bull has already secured the drivers’ championship for the second consecutive year.
“What he (Mateschitz) achieved and what he’s done for so many people around the world, across different sports, is second to none,”
Horner stated.
He said on Sky Sports television, “So many drivers, so many team members, so many people in this pitlane owe him so much. That’s
what he did here in Formula One, proving that you can make a difference. So many of us have to be so grateful to him for the
opportunities that he’s provided, the vision that he had, the strength of character, and never being afraid to follow and chase your
dreams.”
At the close of 2004, Mateschitz acquired the Jaguar team owned by Ford and renamed it Red Bull Racing, an organization whose
rugged exterior concealed a passionate sense of competition.
The Italian for Red Bull, Toro Rosso, is the new moniker for the Minardi squad that the Austrian purchased. As the company’s fashion
brand, AlphaTauri, they now face competition.
Red Bull’s success was accelerated with the addition of Adrian Newey, one of the sport’s greatest designers who had created
championship-winning vehicles for Williams and McLaren. Sebastian Vettel of Germany won four consecutive titles from 2010 to
2013.
In each of the four seasons, Red Bull also took home the constructors’ title.
The news of Dietrich Mateschitz’s passing struck Formula One chief executive Stefano Domenicali “deeply saddened.” Mateschitz was
a well respected and valued member of the Formula One family.
“He was an incredible visionary entrepreneur and a man who helped to transform our sport and created the Red Bull brand that is
known all around the world.”
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