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Dietrich Mateschitz is not poised to quit formula one. That is the claim of fellow Austrian and F1 legend Niki Lauda, as speculation about Red Bull's future on the grid swirls in the 'Red Bull Ring' paddock. Lauda himself is featured in the latest, provocative edition of Red Bull's 'Red Bulletin' magazine entitled 'What's wrong with F1?'. The Mercedes team chairman railed against the status quo and warned there is "not much time left" to fix the problems before fans and drivers abandon the sport.
Just before the magazine's release, billionaire Mateschitz warned again that he could pull his two teams out of F1, notwithstanding his commitment until 2020. "How many teams with contracts left before us?" the Red Bull mogul pointed out.
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Lauda, though, does not think Mateschitz will quit. "Didi Mateschitz is not someone who gives up," he told Kleine Zeitung newspaper. "In fact, he'll work even harder to try to find solutions," Lauda insisted.
Although Lauda himself has been one of those complaining loudest about the cars and the rules, he also suggested there is a limit to how negative those in the paddock should be. "You can't only be negative," he said. "If you are not satisfied, then you should install another engine instead."
Lauda is undoubtedly referring to speculation Red Bull could ditch its works Renault power and switch instead to 'customer' Ferrari units. Max Verstappen, one of the four Renault-powered cars on the grid, wouldn't mind if Mateschitz did sign a deal with Maranello. "That would be nice," he smiled to De Telegraaf newspaper.
And Lauda said Ferrari would not be Mateschitz's only option. "There are enough engines to pick from," he insisted. Simply complaining about the rules until rule changes are made, Lauda argued, is not the right option. "You cannot change the rules just because you can't keep up," he said. "All the whining does annoy me. It is their right, but it gives you nothing."
Lauda even said the decline in ticket sales for the Red Bull-promoted Austrian grand prix is no reason to conclude that F1 is fundamentally broken. "It is logical that interest is down after the first year," he said. (GMM)
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