The domination of Sebastian Vettel and Red Bull on Formula 1 seems long ago now. After what was a tricky 2014 season where Daniel Ricciardo took advantage of Mercedes’ errors and technical difficulties to take three fine victories, Red Bull have found themselves very much on the back foot in the little of the 2015 season that has gone by, thanks in no small part to a sub-par chassis on top of a pretty woeful Renault power unit. Since then, Red Bull (and Toro Rosso) team owner Dietrich Mateshitz has threatened to pull the plug entirely on Red Bull’s F1 programme as it is infeasible that they run a Mercedes, Ferrari or a Honda power unit. The Red Bull quit threats are quite justified, and not simply the team crying out because they are not winning as much any more.
First of all and perhaps most importantly: think of Formula 1 as a business, and not as a sport. If a businessman, invests money into a project but does not receive the desired results from this, logically he will pull the plug on this as opposed to wasting more money on something which is not working. Whilst Red Bull were winning championships and getting the desired coverage as a result of all of the success that they achieved, this must have been great for the company, but languishing in the midfield whilst spending a similar amount of money to the top teams absolutely does not do anyone any favours. Red Bull is a business at the end of the day, and if they are not getting the returns from Formula 1 as a result, then they would be silly not to sell on and leave the sport.
Whilst it is frustrating for people to watch the likes of Manor and Sauber struggle simply to survive in the sport, and then have the contrast of Red Bull threatening to leave despite finishing second in the Constructors’ Championship last season, it must be remembered that Manor and Sauber are there to race, and not to sell a product. To enter something like Formula 1 with a racing mindset is absolutely different to entering it with a business one. Even the small teams like Manor are ultimately there to try to win the championship in some shape or form. Red Bull are not there to win titles, they are there to sell cans of energy drink, and if F1 is not cost effective when they are not delivering the success, then it would make sense to pull out.
Red Bull have a big impact on motorsport as it is; they are the title sponsor of the MotoGP Indianapolis Grand Prix. They also own the Red Bull Ring in Austria as well as having a number of drivers wearing Red Bull logos up and down the grid in multiple series. Ultimately, with the TV and attendance numbers dwindling, I do not believe that Red Bull sees as much point in Formula 1 as when they first joined the sport ten years ago. Why should they pay more and more money when fewer and fewer people are getting the coverage of their product? They may well continue to stay in motorsport, but in a sport where it is much more cost effective to have their logo plastered everywhere.
Other than having the race at the Red Bull Ring, which proved popular last year, I do not see why F1 should worry about the loss of Red Bull too much either. With Renault already more than interested in the junior team, Toro Rosso, and almost certainly interest in the main team too with the infrastructure that it already has, ultimately F1 would probably lose no teams as a result. Red Bull can continue to have their junior programme or even sponsor drivers in F1 if it remains cost effective, but perhaps their drivers can enter the likes of Sportscar racing or IndyCar; two areas where Red Bull do not have a massive impact right now.
If Red Bull want to pull the plug on F1 because Renault haven’t been good enough and there’s no way to strike a deal with Mercedes, Ferrari or Honda, then so be it.
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