Red Bull ‘s involvement in Formula 1 and motorsport in general was largely the result of Mateschitz ‘s personal passion, which inevitably led many to wonder what might happen after his passing, given the huge ongoing investment that has been made. requires.
However, Christian Horner insists the Austrian had left the pieces in place to secure the future of the Red Bull and AlphaTauri teams.
Horner stressed that Mateschitz’s support for the Red Bull Powertrains project, which is creating an entirely new power unit for the future 2026 regulations, was a clear sign that he had his sights set on the long term.
“No, the future is set,” Horner said when asked if there would be any change after Mateschitz’s death. “He has laid a very strong foundation for the future. In 2026 Red Bull will become a power unit manufacturer, which was the missing piece of our puzzle, and he had the vision to allow that to happen.
“And just like we’ve done with the chassis, we’ll bring that same spirit, his spirit, to the future engine company.”
Horner went on to say: “He set that vision, and he was involved until last week. He had the vision and supported the plan for Red Bull Powertrains, to set up the team for the future, for the long term.”
“And the commitment that he has shown to that, and what he has allowed us to create in Milton Keynes, puts Red Bull Racing in a very strong position for many, many years to come.”
Asked if Max Verstappen’s second world championship gave any indication that F1 is beginning a period of dominance for the team, Horner was cautious.
“You can’t make predictions like that,” he declared. “I want to say that we were up against very tough competition. We’ve had a wonderful year, we’ve broken all our own records in terms of wins and doubles for example.”
“And there are still three races to go. But we have some very, very competitive rivals, and I’m sure they will come back strong next year,” he concluded.
Christian Horne y Dietrich Mateschitz
