"Red Bull a drinks company"

[FW17]

I fixed the title to something not so paraphrased and more accurate. Old title "Red Bull just a drinks company" to "Red Bull a drinks company".

He never insulted anyone, he just told it exactly like it is.

please don't change quotes for sole purpose of inciting.

This is just celebs talk for keeping himself in the news. His new management must have encouraged it.

The second part about Red Bull having a number 1 is none of his business.

[Ciro Pabón]

Red Bull Racing, 9 wins, 20 Podiums 15 pole positions.

By James Allen

...they did it according to the values of owner Dietrich Mateschitz, which is that in sport Red Bull should “carry the responsibility for success and failure.” In other words they don’t want to just put their sticker on a car, they want to be intrinsically involved in the decision making, to play the game, to win.. to lose.

I find this absolutely fascinating and you have to admire the vision here. This is not something we’ve only really seen before with Benetton in the 1990s. Tobacco firm BAT started their own team in the late 1990s – BAR – but with different objectives.

But whereas Benetton was a more cynical exercise, focussed on winning at all costs, with Red Bull Mateschitz’s edict meant that the team didn’t intervene in the closing stages of the season when one of its drivers was well ahead of the other on points with a formidable rival to beat in the shape of Fernado Alonso and Ferrari.

And yet it worked out the way Mateschitz wanted it to with Sebastian Vettel, the driver well behind team mate Webber on points with two races to go, coming through to win both races and take the title. Red Bull, an energy drinks company, had gone beyond sponsorship and had taken responsibility for the success or failure.

Racing teams on the other hand are usually pragmatic, cynical and hard bitten. And 99% of them would have backed Webber with two races to go, as the odds of Alonso nicking the title at the time were huge.

[Jimi_Hendrix_1967]

People like Newey would not be at the level they are now if they hadn't cut their chops in teams like Mclaren in the past.

Make no mistake, being part of an actual racing team is a source of pride for any driver that belongs to one, and Red Bull bought and F1 team, and hooked up an IV of money. They did great, and I give them kudos.

@Andrew, that quote you cited, wasn't that made as a joke?

But Mclaren has been exactly the same. Dennis bought the comapny and put them on a money IV drip from arms dealer mansour Ojeh, whos products we now see in action in various countries. Talk about company values.

Newey was bought away from Williams, and strapped down into Mclaren corporate image and a culture of commitees 'for everything' Newey said, when asked why he left Mclaren.

I think what Hamilton said about Red Bull is not right. Red Bull won races, and now championships with a budget at least 100$ down on Mclaren. They invested bigtime in various other sports too. They also were the first to get a 3 story motorhome in the paddock, wich still hasnt been surpassed by Mclaren. Plus they even bought a second team and made it into a strong midfield team, with a race win. Then there is the fact that Red Bull has written history by delivering the youngest ever world champion in F1 who took that crown from a certain Lewis Hamilton, and did that with an engine reputedly 30bhp down on Mclarens ´reliability enhanced´ unit. Even if they quit tomorrow that is something that will never be taken away from them.

And if Mclaren are so much hard core than Red Bull, why dont they unscrew all the copied RBR systems off the Mclaren car? How come RBR isnt copying anything from Mclaren?

....

[PlatinumZealot]

It's not a stupid statement. It's mind games.

Very clever that Hamilton. He wants Vettel to question his stay at a non traditional team, and he wants to pressure Horner at the same time! Firing big bullets there Hamilton!

[raymondu999]

mind games can be interpreted a lot of ways. You see it as that, I see it as baiting McLaren, telling them they've been beat by a fizzy drinks kingpin

[Richard]

What's the fuss for?

Kubica made the same comment about his own team. "lotus is not a team it is just a sponsor"

[Poleman]

And if Mclaren are so much hard core than Red Bull, why dont they unscrew all the copied RBR systems off the Mclaren car? How come RBR isnt copying anything from Mclaren?

Last time i checked the RB6 had an F-Duct on...no?

[Crabbia]

Or this is just hamilton's lack of a manager showing through. I think he probably just like to have an opinion. He is arrogant. Even the most hard core Hamilton fan had to admit the guy loves himself. I think he just hasnt had a manager and a professional PR machine to tone down his brash statements.

And this is always going to be the problem for redbull. I looked at them more as a PR machine for a drinks company than a racing team. Sure I walk around with scarlet tinted glasses but Its not the Ferrari supporter in me that think that. Its the fact that the main purpose of red bull the company is to sell energy drinks. I accept that they do have a substantial investment in other motorsports and in aerobatics and air races but I think i would feel more comfortable disagreeing with Hamilton if they were I the sport for 5 more years. Or they had gone through a winning period and a losing period and come back to win again.

[andrew]

^ I thought he had a manager now. Simon Fuller?

[Earnard Beccelstone]

Benetton was just a fashion label...

[bhall]

It's not a stupid statement. It's mind games.

Mind games? Against Vettel? Really?

Is there any chance that the current World Champion for a team whose only trajectory thus far has been up is going to be in any way moved by Lewis Hamilton pointing out that McLaren and Ferrari each have a deeper heritage in racing?

Respectfully, I think not. It sounds more like sour grapes coming from someone who's no longer the wunderkid racing for the elite team in F1.

[Jersey Tom]

Doesn't sound like he's insulting anyone. It's true... they're not a long-standing racing company (or long standing company at all!). On the other hand it's still kind of silly to say. As one of my former coworkers would say, "They have more money than God!"

They'll be in racing for a while.

[Goran2812]

But Mclaren has been exactly the same. Dennis bought the comapny and put them on a money IV drip from arms dealer mansour Ojeh, whos products we now see in action in various countries. Talk about company values.

Newey was bought away from Williams, and strapped down into Mclaren corporate image and a culture of commitees 'for everything' Newey said, when asked why he left Mclaren.

I think what Hamilton said about Red Bull is not right. Red Bull won races, and now championships with a budget at least 100$ down on Mclaren.

And you have the exact figures? So, the talk about Red Bull going way over the "budget cap" is what? I want facts and numbers please...

They also were the first to get a 3 story motorhome in the paddock, wich still hasnt been surpassed by Mclaren.

That just shows how much of a showoff Dietrich Mateschitz is... Just a way to present his team as one of the greats... And they're not... Not yet... They'll have to win a lot more WDC-s and WCC-s to be on par with McLaren and Ferrari...

Plus they even bought a second team and made it into a strong midfield team, with a race win.

What does this have to do with anything except for the fact that Mateschitz is loaded with tonnes of money from that caffeine drink of his...

Then there is the fact that Red Bull has written history by delivering the youngest ever world champion in F1 who took that crown from a certain Lewis Hamilton, and did that with an engine reputedly 30bhp down on Mclarens ´reliability enhanced´ unit.

Age has nothing to do with it... Drivers today come to the highest classes of motorsport in a very young age,with lots of will and determination... Google around a bit and see the average driver age in F1 now,and let's say 30 years ago. Seb was fortunate enough to land a place in that phenomenal machine that Newey made, and that's it! As for the horsepower - it's been talked over and over and over again... The difference between todays F1 engines are minimal... And a good chassis makes a whole lot more difference, and Red Bull can thank Newey and all the millions...

Even if they quit tomorrow that is something that will never be taken away from them.

True, but still a long way ahead of them to become a synonym for speed, and pure racing in general (the way it was before, not the way it is done today) like McLaren and Ferrari are...

And if Mclaren are so much hard core than Red Bull, why dont they unscrew all the copied RBR systems off the Mclaren car? How come RBR isnt copying anything from Mclaren?

Like they said... What's with the f-duct?

Don't know why I decided to post this, your post doesn't seem really rational, just emotion and like you didn't think things through before you posted... (yep that annoyed me a little)

[CHT]

I fixed the title to something not so paraphrased and more accurate. Old title "Red Bull just a drinks company" to "Red Bull a drinks company".

He never insulted anyone, he just told it exactly like it is.

please don't change quotes for sole purpose of inciting.

that is how ESPN guys put it actually.

http://en.espnf1.com/

[Sean H]

It's not a stupid statement. It's mind games.

Very clever that Hamilton. He wants Vettel to question his stay at a non traditional team, and he wants to pressure Horner at the same time! Firing big bullets there Hamilton!

It will give Vettel pause to think as he laps the Macca's this year...