Red Bull boss has no fear of losing Vettel

Dietrich Mateschitz on Tuesday said Red Bull will let Sebastian Vettel go if the new world champion wants to switch to a rival team.

Since securing the 2010 title, German Vettel has been quoted on numerous occasions admitting he would like to one day race for fabled Ferrari or Mercedes.

The 23-year-old is under contract only for 2011, while the precise terms of his ‘option’ for 2012 are not definitively known.

“Whether we ‘fear’ losing him is not the terminology we would use,” Red Bull mogul Mateschitz is quoted by SID news agency.

“As long as Sebastian is comfortable with us and has a winning car, he will probably not really think about going elsewhere.”

But the Austrian billionaire acknowledged Vettel’s recent musings about the sport’s famous marques.

“If he tells us one day he wants to go to Ferrari or Mercedes, we would have to understand,” said Mateschitz. “There are more mothers with beautiful daughters — we would let him go.”

Meanwhile, Mateschitz insists Vettel’s teammate Mark Webber will enjoy absolute equality in 2011, after the Australian said recently he foresees a longer tenure with the energy drink-owned team.

“Mark’s personality is different but he is as good as Sebastian. They are both excellent warriors who can both win the war,” he added.

Source: YallaF1

Vettel can break new contract if Red Bull stops winning

Dietrich Mateschitz has invited Sebastian Vettel to sign a long-term contract guaranteeing him a competitive car each season.
New world champion Vettel remains under contract only to the end of next year, and last week he nominated Ferrari and Mercedes as "the past, present and certainly the future of Formula One".

"But this (move) is still a long way away," he wrote in a column for Bild newspaper.

Red Bull mogul Mateschitz thinks Red Bull is safe so long as it continues to deliver the young German a top car.

"If not, we would let him go even if he had a contract," he told Welt am Sonntag newspaper.

And Mateschitz told the Cologne tabloid Express: "Seb wants to drive for Ferrari some day. We will make it as difficult a decision for him as possible."

Dr Helmut Marko stood on the podium with Vettel in Abu Dhabi, and even he admits that the lure of Ferrari for a F1 driver is strong.

But the Austrian does not think the Italian team will want to "hurt" Fernando Alonso by pitting the Spaniard against Vettel any time soon.

"We all know the political sensitivities at Ferrari. And he (Vettel) has seen with us that he has a comfort factor.

"He needs a team that doesn't throw a knife in your back at the sign of trouble," said Marko, Red Bull's motor racing consultant.

"Let's be clear: there is not going to be a ten-year contract, because we are not able to guarantee we will have a competitive car for that long. And Sebastian cannot guarantee that he will always be comfortable with us.

"But in the medium term, the next three or four years, we are firmly planning to be with him," he revealed.

Source: Motorsport.com

Vettel faster than Webber but consistency is key - Mateschitz

Dietrich Mateschitz: "Sebastian seems to have a slight edge as far as speed is concerned"

Red Bull co-owner Dietrich Mateschitz believes Sebastian Vettel is currently faster than Mark Webber, but says the 2010 title will be decided by consistency over the final three races.

Vettel has notched up eight pole positions this year, three more than Webber, but has been less consistent in the second half of the season and is 14 points behind in the drivers' standings.

"Sebastian seems to have a slight edge as far as speed is concerned," Mateschitz told the German news agency DPA. "We will see whether Mark's [points] advantage is enough to win the title. There will be no team order from our side. The driver who makes the least mistakes and is faster should, or will, win."

Mateschitz insists he has no preference as to which Red Bull driver takes the championship, as long as they do not lose out to a driver from another team.

"If we win the drivers' title we would be happy for both in the same way because each one would deserve it," he added. "It is important that they both know that they need the other man to become world champion, and that they are also driving for the team and the constructors' championship."

Source: ESPNF1

Mateschitz expects nothing less than the title

Dietrich Mateschitz has told his Red Bull team that he will settle for nothing less than winning this year's World titles.

Despite having arguably the quickest car in the field and dominating qualifying with eight pole positions from nine races, Red Bull have claimed just four victories this season.

As a result they find themselves trailing McLaren in both Championships. Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber are third and fourth in the Drivers' race while Red Bull are 30 points behind McLaren in the Constructors' standings.

"First of all, I am satisfied with drivers and car all around," team owner Mateschitz told Salzburger Nachrichten.

"What I am not satisfied with is the score because on paper we should have a head start instead of having a deficit.

"Now we have to make up lost ground."

Asked point blank if he's expecting his drivers to come home with the World titles, Mateschitz said: "Of course, expecting anything less would be absurd.

"If someone with our potential cannot expect to win the World Championship, then who?"

Source: Planet F1

Red Bull could sell F1 naming rights

Red Bull boss Dietrich Mateschitz has revealed that the company could look to sell the naming rights to its F1 team in the coming years.

The Austrian drinks company joined the grid in 2005 having purchased the Jaguar team from Ford towards the end of 2004 with its continued improvement in recent seasons leading to it becoming the benchmark six races into the 2010 campaign.

With back-to-back wins in Spain and Monaco, Red Bull driver Mark Webber tops the standings although team-mate Sebastian Vettel is level on points. Red Bull also tops the constructors championship ahead of the likes of Ferrari, McLaren and Mercedes.

Those results have been gained with Red Bull footing much of the bill itself – despite an increasing sponsor portfolio – but Mateshitz has refused to rule out the possibility that the team could sell the naming rights to its team, which in turn would bring down the costs incurred by the Austrian company.

“As soon as Red Bull Racing is recognised as an established team, a title sponsor could be possible,” he told the Sunday Express.

Source: Crash

Seb and Mark are made Wings For Life Ambassadors

Our two F1 drivers were unveiled as ambassadors for the spinal cord research foundation Wings For Life this afternoon.

In the Energy Station, in the Paddock of the Circuit de Catalunya, the pair were welcomed by Heinz Kinigadner - the man who established the charity with Red Bull CEO Dietrich Mateschitz – as representatives of the foundation.

It means our two drivers join former F1 stars David Coulthard, Gerhard Berger, Philippe Streiff and Base jumper Felix Baumgartner in publicly supporting Wings For Life.

Something Sebastian has already done for some time.

He said: “I am very proud to have been made an ambassador. Through my friendship with Heinz, and his son Hannes who has been bound to a wheelchair since a serious motocross crash in 2003, I have become involved with Wings for Life. The very manner of how the two handle their fate constantly impresses me. I believe in the important work of the foundation to make paraplegia curable.”

Mark said his own accident over a year ago made him appreciate more the need for care when recuperating. He said: “My injury was very minor, but it demonstrated that you need the right infrastructure around you. I’m looking forward to making a difference and it’s a great thing to have been asked to be a Wings For Life ambassador.”

For more information on the foundation and its mission to find a cure for spinal cord injusry, visit the Wings For Life website.

Source: Red Bull