Dietrich Mateschitz, co-founder and owner of Red Bull, has died at the age of 78. The team confirmed Mateschitz’s death right ahead of qualifying for the US Grand Prix.
Mateschitz, an Austrian Billionaire and the country’s richest man as per Forbes 2022 lost the battle of life owing to a prolonged illness.
He founded Red Bull back in the mid-1980s and established the energy drink as a market leader while presenting the brand through a range of multiple extreme sports.
After being initially involved with Sauber in F1 in the 1990s and early 2000s, Mateschitz opted for going acquiring the Jaguar squad towards the end of 2004 and presented it in the rebranded team of Red Bull which is in existence since the 2005 season.
After sitting atop the string of successes Mateschitz bought the Minardi squad and renamed it, Toro Rosso, in 2006 and used the team as a prime vehicle to train promising drivers who will eventually serve in Red Bull’s operation.
Steadily the team build their squad under the guidance of Mateschitz over the following years, while signing the likes of design guru Adrian Newey and promoting the first of many Red Bull-backed drivers in Sebastian Vettel, pole positions, victories, and world titles would ultimately flow.
Vettel, their most successful driver in recent times clinched the title of the best driver in 2010 and went on to retain it up until 2013, alongside the team Red Bull taking the constructor’s crowns in all these years.
Upon the sad demise of Mateschitz, the head of the Red Bull F1 team Christian Horner paid his condolence saying, “Thankfully" Mateschitz lived to see Verstappen clinch his second title by winning the Japanese Grand Prix two weeks ago.”
Horner went on to describe Mateschitz as the “team’s backbone.” Speaking at the United States Grand Prix in Texas Horner said, "It is very, very sad, a great man, one of few of a kind, for what he achieved and he has done for many people around the world and across so many sports."
In Mateschitz’s era as the record stands, Red Bull has scored 79 pole positions, 89 race wins, six drivers’ titles, and four constructors’ titles in F1.