'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Red Bull CEO Christian Horner hit back at McLaren CEO Zak Brown’s concerns about one entity co-owning two teams in the same sport. Speaking to media including Sportskeeda, the Briton explained that their sister team was an entirely different entity.
In the press conference at the pre-season test in Bahrain, the McLaren boss was asked about his concerns about team partnerships, an issue he has been vocal about several times in the past. Addressing the issue, Brown felt Red Bull is entitled to make the most out of their partnership with their sister team much like owners who have two teams. However, he felt that the rules that permitted such a partnership needed to be reconsidered as he felt it wasn’t the case in other competitive sports.
Trending
Replying to the McLaren team principal, Horner reminded Brown that there is a case of co-ownership between two competitive teams in the Champions League. However, the Red Bull chief reminded that the rules in 2005 were different when Dietrich Mateschitz bought the Faenza squad. He explained that the Faenza team was bought as a result of FIA chief Max Mosley and F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone approaching the Austrian owner to rescue the Minardi F1 team. The Red Bull CEO felt that the commitment the Austrian drinks company and the Milton Keynes team have had in the sport needed to be applauded rather than belittled.
In a long reply to the McLaren team principal’s concerns, the Red Bull team principal said:
“Couple of things really, first of all Red Bull are, there are two teams that compete in the champions league which is one of the biggest sporting competitions in the world. And one has take a look back at the history of where this started, where and why that ownership is as it is now. Now Bernie Ecclestone and Max Mosley approached Dietrich Mateschitz back in 2005 to acquire what was then the Minardi Formula 1 team, that was perennially struggling, solvent and on the boat brink of bankruptcy. Dietrich Mateschitz stepped in and he acquired the team and he insured the team up and obviously then invested significantly in the Faenza facilities based in Italy."
"We then faced the financial crisis in 2008 and as other manufacturers chose that opportunity and took that opportunity to leave the sport. I think four of them left at that time, Red Bull remained resolute and continued to support the team, both teams through that difficult period. The regulations then evolved and basically the Faenza based team had to become their own manufacturer and therefore further investment was made in the infrastructure in Faenza.”
Reminding the press of the numerous times Red Bull bailed the Faenza squad and aided F1, Horner said:
“We then had covid where Red Bull once again stepped up and stuck by both teams in its entirety. In fact Red Bull were responsible for getting Formula 1 going again after Covid, with two races that were introduced to get the sport going again following the pandemic. The commitment that Red Bull has made to formula 1, the commitment that Red Bull has made to these two teams is outstanding and should be applauded and made grateful for, rather than be derided and made to compromise."
"The two teams are totally separate, one is based in Italy and one is based in the UK. The one that is based in Italy has a far larger turn over of staff that end up in Maranello rather than ending up in Milton Keynes. They have different personalities, they have different characters, and they comply continually with the regulations. Indeed the relationship is far less tight than some teams that enjoy far tighter relations with their engine manufacturers.”
Red Bull boss feels Zak Brown’s comments are a compliment to their sister team Visa Cashapp RB
Christian Horner believes McLaren chief Zak Brown’s comments were a compliment to their sister team Visa Cashapp RB and its team principal Laurent Mekies, who was present at the press conference. The Briton felt that it was a team which has abided by the rules and there had never been any exploitation of the partnership.
Horner felt that there was not a single occasion when either team had violated the rules with their symbiotic relationship. He claimed that the concerns raised by the McLaren team CEO were a non-issue as far as he was concerned.
Commenting further on the issues raised by Brown at the press conference in Bahrain, Horner said:
“I would take it as a compliment if I was Laurent that this issue is being raised now. Because with the change of stewardship, the team has its opportunity to get its act together. They’ve got two quality drivers, they are introducing quality people into that team and we expect them to be a competitor, we expect them to be a competitor. We expect them to be a competitor to not just rest of the field but indeed of Red Bull Racing. We are a team of racers and there are now preset rules, there are no agreements between the teams.”
“I think you can pick out many highlights or opportunities or scenarios where thats been the case for years, even in the years when Toro Rosso cars were parked in our garage during a championship deciding race. So I don’t understand the fuss about it. I don't understand the noise that's being created about it. I think Red Bull should be actually applauded for the support, the commitment, the life, the jobs they’ve provided through the good times and particularly the bad times. So for me it is a really a non-issue.”
According to Horner, they expect their sister team to be a threat to everyone on the grid including themselves in the future. The Faenza-based team has had new investors and swapped their UK campus in Bicester for a place in the Milton Keynes campus.
The relationship between the two teams has often been envied by many of their rivals. However, the primary objective of the revamped Visa Cashapp RB team is to become an entity on its own and grow beyond the identity of being the junior off-shoot of the Milton Keynes camp.
