"So many owe him so much"- Red Bull boss pays tribute to Dietrich Mateschitz after his demise

Red Bull F1's co-founder and co-owner, Dietrich Mateschitz, has sadly passed away at the age of 78 after fighting a long-time illness. Christian Horner, the outfit's current team principal, led the tributes to their Austrian founder.

Speaking to the media on Saturday at the Circuit of The Americas, he hailed Mateschitz saying:

“He is a remarkable man, what he’s done for so many, not just in Formula 1 but in the Red Bull business, in the Red Bull world, across all the sporting platforms. He was a man that inspired so much. He is the reason that we are here. It was his passion for Formula 1, and his vision that is the reason that he has two teams in the Formula 1 pit lane. He was always enthusiastic, encouraging, supportive, in the good days and the bad days. So many owe him so much. I feel privileged to have known him.”

Reflecting on Mateschitz's life and work, the Red Bull boss was thankful to the businessman for everything he did for people. Horner said:

“He gave me a chance as a young guy, he backed me, and he inspired so many others. He gave so many people an opportunity. He encouraged you that nothing is impossible, that nothing is unsurpassable, and to follow your dreams. he was a fan of Formula 1. He was hugely proud of everything that we’ve done. The big thing now is that he’d want to see us go out there and give it everything, and we’ll be doing that today for him.”

Mateschitz founded the drinks company in 1984. The Austrian billionaire launched the brand three years later and bought the Jaguar team back in 2004. From here on, Red Bull would go on to become one of the most dominating forces in F1.

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Red Bull driver Max Verstappen hopes to make former owner Dietrich Mateschitz proud

Max Verstappen qualified in P3 ahead of the 2022 F1 United States Grand Prix. The driver now wants to win the race as a tribute to Mateschitz, sounding positive about a victory post his qualifying results.

He spoke to the media after the qualifying session and said:

“It is really tough, it has been a very tough day and we try, of course, to give it everything today in Qualifying. Unfortunately, we missed out by a little but there is still a race ahead of course and hopefully, we will make him proud tomorrow. I think our car is normally in the race is a bit stronger than it is in qualifying. I am expecting a good race tomorrow.”

Verstappen has already picked up his second world title at Suzuka and will look forward to celebrating Red Bull's constructors' win in America. This will be the Austrian outfit's first constructors trophy since 2013 if they manage to outscore Ferrari by 19 points.