/https%3A%2F%2Ffanf1.obox.media%2Fapp%2Fuploads%2F2026%2F02%2F01_2220262936_c59e873fd7-scaled.jpg)
The small company that once sold cans of energy drinks has become a benchmark in motorsports. As Red Bull Racing celebrates its 20th anniversary in Formula 1, it's an opportunity to look back on the remarkable rise of a team that started from nothing.
In two decades, Red Bull has racked up 122 wins, six constructors' world championship titles, eight drivers' world championship titles, and has competed in 394 Grand Prix races. Today, the UK-based Austrian team is one of the top three constructors and holds the drivers' world championship title, but its rise to the top has not been without its challenges.
The beginnings In the late 1960s, Austrian fans fell in love with Lotus driver Jochen Rindt. In 1970, he was in top form, racking up victories and looking set to win the title, when a tragic accident during practice for the Italian Grand Prix claimed his life. Rindt remains the only posthumous world champion.
Rindt's legacy had a profound effect on Helmut Marko, a childhood friend who once dreamed of becoming a driver himself. After a brief stint with BRM in 1970 and a victory at Le Mans in 1971, Marko's racing career came to an end in 1972 when a stone shattered his visor and damaged his left eye during the French Grand Prix. Determined to remain in the sport, he turned to talent management and founded the RSM team, which competed in the DTM and Formula 3. The connection with Red Bull In 1984, Dietrich Mateschitz and Thai entrepreneur Chaleo Yoovidhya launched the energy drink brand that would become synonymous with sponsorship in extreme sports. A meeting in 1985 between Mateschitz and Arrows driver Gerhard Berger resulted in a sponsorship agreement that would finance the brand's global expansion and secure a Red Bull seat for the modest sum of €9,000.
Red Bull made its official entry into Formula 1 in 1995 as the main sponsor and majority shareholder of Sauber. The junior program was renamed the Red Bull Junior Team in 1999. At the end of 2001, a disagreement over the choice of driver (Red Bull wanted Enrique Bernoldi, Sauber preferred Kimi Räikkönen) led to a breakup. When Ford put its Jaguar Racing team up for sale in November 2004, Red Bull seized the opportunity and bought the team for the symbolic sum of one dollar. The new team made its debut at the Australian Grand Prix with a Ford engine, switched to a Ferrari engine the following year, and lined up veteran David Coulthard alongside rookie Christian Klien, who came up through the junior ranks. Their first race earned them a fourth and seventh place finish, instantly propelling the team into the top three constructors, even though they finished the season in seventh place overall. Building a dynasty The acquisition raised questions: was it just a marketing ploy? Helmut Marko saw it as an opportunity to appoint a manager who shared his vision and recommended Christian Horner. The British team principal, who was then running Arden International, met Marko while buying a car trailer in Austria. In 2005, Horner became team principal of Red Bull at the age of 30, the youngest in F1 history, and was given the “keys” with a clear mission to win.
Red Bull also bought Scuderia Minardi, renaming it Toro Rosso, a satellite team designed to train young talent. “It's easy to get a driver into F1, but it's a different story to get a competitive driver,” said Marko.
Horner's first major decision was to replace technical director Günther Steiner with Adrian Newey, already legendary for designing the Williams FW14/FW15 and McLaren MP4/13, which enabled Mika Häkkinen to win two consecutive titles in 1998 and 1999. Newey brought radical aerodynamic concepts, innovative suspension designs, and a mix of cutting-edge simulation and old-school sketching to the table, redesigning Red Bull's cars and cementing the team's reputation for technical excellence.
In 2009, after a few inconsistent campaigns, Red Bull finally secured its first victory when Sebastian Vettel triumphed at the Chinese Grand Prix. The following season, Vettel became the youngest world champion in history, while his teammate Mark Webber took third place. This success marked a turning point for Red Bull, with the team winning the constructors' championship for the first time in its history. It defended its title for three more years before experiencing a dry spell. The team returned to the top in 2022… The rest is a succession of records, victories, and unforgettable duels.
A breeding ground for drivers
Since the launch of the Red Bull Junior Team in 2001, 83 drivers have completed the Austrian team's development program, 13 of whom have gone on to join Formula 1. Five of them have stood on the top step of the podium at the wheel of a Red Bull: Sebastian Vettel, Mark Webber, Daniel Ricciardo, Sergio Pérez and, of course, Max Verstappen. Adrian Newey's designs have helped the team win four consecutive Constructors' World Championships from 2010 to 2013 and four Drivers' World Championship titles for Vettel. The team also helped launch the careers of Daniel Ricciardo and Carlos Sainz, with the latter consistently improving the performance of every team he joins. However, life is not always easy for a young driver wearing the Austrian colors. Red Bull's management has been criticized for its approach: scouting talent, often very young, offering them generous contracts, and then getting rid of drivers when results decline. Names such as Pierre Gasly, Alex Albon, and many others have suffered this fate, with the most recent cases being Daniel Ricciardo and Sergio Pérez.
To be continued
Last season, Max Verstappen won seven of the first ten races but none of the next ten, ultimately clinching a fourth consecutive title in the drivers' championship with 437 points. Sergio Pérez scored only 152 points, and the team slipped to third place in the overall standings, behind McLaren and Ferrari, while longtime design director Adrian Newey announced his departure for Aston Martin. This year, Max Verstappen and Liam Lawson, Pérez's replacement, will have to fight hard and demonstrate their tactical skills in what promises to be a closely contested battle.
