In a move that, while not shocking but does have me a little surprised, Red Bull owner Dietrich Mateschitz has purchased Gerhard Berger’s 50% interest in Scuderia Toro Rosso.Just a few months ago, Mr. Mateschitz was keen to find a buyer for his percentage of ownership which left Mr. Berger seeking potential buyers like Ultimate Motorsports Barry Walsh among others. Mr. Mateschitz seemed relatively vague on his desire to either stay in or out but most of the language seemed to be of an exodus nature rather than embracing. Today’s announcement seems a tad odd to me as it is contrary to his previous position and even Mr. Berger’s comments regarding the sale of his shares seems incoherent to me.
“A 100% financing of a joint project by one partner can only make sense, to my mind, at an initial stage”, Berger said. “This stage is over now. That’s why Red Bull will take over the shares again.”
This makes little sense to me for a guy who could be credited for taking the small, Italian team and beating Mr. Mateschitz’s senior Red Bull team consisting of world-class members and a superior budget. I sense STR’s late season form, new fans and little-team-that-could mentality has seriously turned his attention around to the Minnow of F1. I wonder if there was not an option that was called or a financial issue for Gerhard that prompted the sell? Hmmm. strange that.
