Formula One and the championship-leading Red Bull team mourned the death of the energy drink company’s Austrian founder Dietrich Mateschitz on Saturday at the age of 78.
Red Bull Racing principal Christian Horner confirmed the news ahead of qualifying for the US Grand Prix in Austin, Texas, where the team can clinch a fifth constructors’ championship.
Red Bull’s Max Verstappen has already won the drivers’ title for the second year in a row.
“What he (Mateschitz) achieved and what he’s done for so many people around the world, across different sports, is second to none,” said Horner.
“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.
“That’s what he did here in Formula One, proving that you can make a difference, so many drivers, so many team members, so many people in this pitlane owe him so much,” he told Sky Sports television.
Mateschitz bought the Ford-owned Jaguar team at the end of 2004 and turned it into Red Bull Racing, an outfit whose maverick image masked a fierce competitive spirit.
The Austrian also bought the Italy-based Minardi team and renamed it Toro Rosso, the Italian for Red Bull. They now compete as AlphaTauri, the company’s fashion brand.
The arrival of Adrian Newey, one of the sport’s greatest designers who had penned title-winning cars for Williams and McLaren, turbocharged Red Bull’s progress and Germany’s Sebastian Vettel won four titles in a row from 2010-13.
