F1 icon declares Red Bull lost ‘clarity’ after Dietrich Mateschitz’s death
Gerhard Berger asserted that Red Bull Racing has faced a major crisis in maintaining clarity since Dietrich Mateschitz's death.
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Christian Horner, Dietrich Mateschitz, and Helmut Marko (via LAT images)
Red Bull Racing went through a period of turmoil last year. Milton Keynes found itself engaged in controversies on and off the track. Now, former F1 driver Gerhard Berger has pointed out a major change in the team after the death of co-founder Dietrich Mateschitz.
Berger cited the example of Sergio Perez‘s final season with the team. The Mexican driver was given an extension at the start of 2024, before being sacked for this season. The 65-year-old pointed out that things were not improving for Checo on-track and it seemed like external factors might’ve played a role in the new contract at that time.
You could see that things were no longer working well. Nobody in this business understood that he was given another contract then. There could have been reasons like marketing or the contract situation.
Gerhard Berger told auto-motor-und-sport
Moreover, Gerhard Berger highlighted that Red Bull kept giving new deadlines to Perez to save his seat, but kept delaying the decision. Berger asserted that this situation lacked clarity, something which the team was known for under Dietrich Mateschitz. Mateschitz passed away in October 2022.
But when things did not improve after that, they gave him three more races and then two more, and refused to take a decision. I couldn’t see a clear line there. In Mateschitz’s time, Red Bull was always known for its clarity.
Gerhard Berger added
Red Bull might be in the ‘beginning of the end’
Tensions arose between Christian Horner and Helmut Marko at Red Bull last year. It was believed that the two were trying to gain an upper hand on each other. Berger insisted that when a team finds itself in such a power struggle, it is usually the beginning of the end. He emphasized that in the competitive world of Formula 1, everyone within the team must agree to one another.
It is often the beginning of the end when such topics dominate. Formula 1 is so complex and so competitive that you can only be successful if everyone in the team puts their shoulders to the wheel, if everyone agrees and communicates well with each other.
Gerhard Berger stated
Red Bull has seemingly moved on from a chaotic 2024 season. The Austrian team managed to make improvements by the end of the year, allowing Max Verstappen to win his fourth title. However, it remains to be seen if Milton Keynes can carry this momentum to the upcoming season.
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Armaan Agarwal
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