Dietrich Mateschitz 1944-2022

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Londoner
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Dietrich Mateschitz 1944-2022

Post by Londoner »

It's been rumoured for a while that the founder of Red Bull was in poor health. Given that Mateschitz was the main driving force behind Red Bull's motorsport division, I wonder just how secure the future of their F1 teams is.
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Har1MAS1415
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Re: Dietrich Mateschitz 1944-2022

Post by Har1MAS1415 »

Rest in peace Dietrich Mateschitz.
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mario
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Re: Dietrich Mateschitz 1944-2022

Post by mario »

Londoner wrote: 22 Oct 2022, 21:30It's been rumoured for a while that the founder of Red Bull was in poor health. Given that Mateschitz was the main driving force behind Red Bull's motorsport division, I wonder just how secure the future of their F1 teams is.
It is worth noting that the Yoovidhya family, which actually had a controlling stake in Red Bull - they own 51% of the company - are reportedly also keen on continuing their involvement in F1. It seems to be the case that Red Bull find their F1 team to be a rather effective means of promoting themselves, so it's unlikely they will pull out of the sport now.

As for Mateschitz, I must admit that I find his legacy kind of mixed. In Formula 1, he certainly has been influential, although I do feel that the popularisation of the young driver team system that Red Bull popularised is a bit mixed - it helped bring quite a few drivers into the sport, but has also been cited as a cause of the cost inflation in junior series that has made it more difficult for new drivers to enter motorsport and, unless they are able to pay their own way, it has increasingly driven out independent drivers.

Outside of motorsport, whilst his charitable endeavours have been seen favourably in Styria, what is often glossed over was his links to far right movements in Austria - he was a Freedom Party member and promoter of the Identitarian Movement in Austria, railing against "elitists" that he accused of wanting to de-Christianise Austria and remove markers of Austrian identity and promoted the views of the far right activist Sellner - and it is notable that Styria is a region where the far right has also made considerable gains in popularity.
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IceG
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Re: Dietrich Mateschitz 1944-2022

Post by IceG »

My first thought was about whether this brings Porsche back into the game?
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Wallio
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Re: Dietrich Mateschitz 1944-2022

Post by Wallio »

IceG wrote: 23 Oct 2022, 11:12 My first thought was about whether this brings Porsche back into the game?

No way. Didi was the reason they were there in the first place. Porsche won't buy in unless Horner is out and that sure as hell ain't happening now.
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