Red Bull owner Dietrich Mateschitz says Formula 1 is “no longer about the racing” after tyre management played a huge role in the outcome of Sunday’s Spanish Grand Prix. A remarkable 77 pit stops were made during the 66-lap race with several drivers being told to lift off in certain corners to protect the high-degrading Pirelli tyres. In an interview with Autosport, Mateschitz said his two drivers – Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber – were not able to push their Red Bull to the limit without ruining the tyres. Mateschitz said: “Everyone knows what happens here. This has nothing to More…

The lack of on-track testing in modern Formula 1 means teams rely more heavily on one particular tool – their simulator. It’s essentially a super-advanced computer game and a hydraulically controlled F1 chassis which replicates the experience of driving on-track. And thanks to Red Bull, you could be one of the few people in the world to have the opportunity to have a session in one with guidance from a team expert. It’s part of an initiative to support the reigning world champion’s charity Wings for Life, which funds worldwide research into spinal injury. The charity wants companies and groups More…

Christian Horner is convinced there is still scope for Red Bull to “grow and evolve” as a team into 2013 and beyond in its bid to maintain the momentum built up over the last three years. The Milton Keynes outfit became only the fourth outfit in history, after McLaren, Williams and Ferrari, to win three or more consecutive constructors’ championships this year but precedents of teams winning four in a row are even rarer, with only McLaren (1988-1991) and Ferrari (1999-2004) having achieved the feat. While getting to the top in F1 is notoriously tough, staying there over a prolonged More…

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner has confirmed that his team will run with the revised RB8 chassis rolled out for the final two days of the final test in Barcelona at next week’s season-opening Australian Grand Prix. In a dramatic piece of Formula 1 winter showmanship last Saturday morning at the Circuit de Catalunya, the world champions unveiled what effectively amounted to a ‘B’ chassis which had been flown in from the UK the previous night with the most obvious changes new front and rear wings, rear aerodynamics, new diffuser and a new exhaust layout. With the exhaust layout, More…

After last year’s Brazilian Grand Prix, Red Bull owner Dietrich Mateschitz articulated his philosophy of why his drivers would be allowed to race each other right to the end and the team would not intervene, “Let the two drivers race and what will be will be,” he said. “If Alonso wins we will have been unlucky. I predict a Hollywood ending. Worst case scenario we don’t become champion? We’ll do it next year. “But our philosophy stays the same because this is sport and it must remain sport. We don’t manipulate things like Ferrari do.” He got his Hollywood ending More…

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner has admitted that his driver Mark Webber should have told him about the shoulder fracture he suffered before the Japanese Grand Prix this season. Yesterday morning JA on F1 broke the story that Webber had driven the last four races of the season with a broken shoulder. The 34 year old made the admission in his new book that he suffered a second mountain bike accident in two years resulting in a fractured shoulder, ironically the first time he’d been on a mountain bike since his collision with a vehicle in Tasmania. Horner said More…

Red Bull Racing boss Christian Horner has come out in the clearest possible terms about the team’s attitude to their drivers fighting for the title, saying bluntly, “I promise that the team will not interfere in the race for the title.” The tone and message are quite different from the Horner of Silverstone time, who said “Sometimes I have to take difficult decisions,” after the infamous front wing switch. In a punchy interview on F1.com, the official F1 site, he says that the team will give both drivers an equal chance to the end. Responding to calls from Flavio Briatore, More…

In the fall out from Saturday’s decision by Red Bull Racing team principal Christian Horner to take the sole remaining new front wing from Mark Webber’s car and give t to Sebastian Vettel, he has said that he acted alone after consultation with the team’s technical chief Adrian Newey. “There has never been any pressure from Red Bull to favour one driver over the other,” he is quoted in the Telegraph today. “I didn’t have a conversation with Helmut [Marko, Red Bull's motorsport adviser] or anyone from Red Bull regarding the decision to give Sebastian the wing. It was purely More…