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Red Bull have drifted far from the Mateschitz vision
- Ludo van Denderen
When Dietrich Mateschitz once decided to jump into Formula 1, the co-owner of Red Bull GmbH did so with a distinct vision. His team had to be different from the competition; a team with a rebellious image, but with sky-high ambitions. Above all, the emphasis had to be on talent development. Sergio Perez's renewed contract extension shows that little remains of the latter. By keeping the Mexican longer, the current Red Bull Racing management is denying what the team once stood for under Mateschitz, who passed away in 2022.
Fortunately, he was still able to witness it, although his illness was already restricting Mateschitz considerably. Max Verstappen's first world title was one that the Austrian billionaire enjoyed in a big way: a Red Bull-trained driver, having joined the team at an extremely young age, growing into an absolute star. That Verstappen beat Hamilton at Abu Dhabi '21 and became champion must have been proof to Mateschitz that his vision was the right one.
Perez as transition option at Red Bull
Sergio Perez was also his team's number two at the time. A 'gap' actually, as there were hardly any alternatives to put alongside Verstappen in the previous half-season. A year, two at most. Then Red Bull would surely fall back on what it had been so successful with, which was to move an in-house talent into the parent team from Toro Rosso/AlphaTauri.
Meanwhile, Perez is in his fourth season at Red Bull and - it became official on Tuesday - two more years will be added. Instead of letting Mateschitz's original vision live on, team principal Christian Horner is sticking with a veteran (34), who friend and foe agree is not a world-beater. A sub-topper, at best. Even sadder; there is a chance that the also 34-year-old Daniel Ricciardo in what was once Red Bull's training team may also stick with it for at least a year.
Are there no talents at Red Bull?
So was there no talent available within the Red Bull Junior Team to relieve Perez? Of course there was, Yuki Tsunoda would have deserved a chance, having improved year after year. And what about Liam Lawson, the New Zealander who made quite an impression during some substitutions in '23?
Of course, putting Tsunoda or Lawson in the Red Bull would not have been without a risk. Plenty of young drivers who succumbed to sky-high pressure in the past. Promoting one of the two, on the other hand, would have fit exactly into what Mateschitz once advocated for: taking risks, wanting to be different. In a way, retaining Perez is also a risk, but not in the way Mateschitz would ever have wanted.