Red Bull CEO Mateschitz To Sell Toro Rosso F1 Team

Berger (l) And Mateschitz Putting Toro Rosso F1 Team Up For Sale

Red Bull CEO Dietrich Mateschitz confirmed that the Toro Rosso F1 team he co-owns along with Gerhard Berger “has been put up for sale,” according to FORMULA1.com. Mateschitz and Berger hope a buyer for the team's ''junior'' squad “will be in place by the end of next season.” Red Bull bought Minardi in ’05 and relaunched it as Toro Rosso for the ’06 season (FORMULA1.com, 3/19). Mateschitz: “It’s not a big secret that we have put Toro Rosso on the market. For the start of 2010 there will be a rule change and there will be no more synergy regarding design and construction of cars between Red Bull Racing and Scuderia Toro Rosso. ... We will not sell Toro Rosso during the 2008 season but it will be before 2010” (Manchester GUARDIAN, 3/19). In London, David Tremayne writes Mateschitz is “known to be dissatisfied with Berger’s financial contributions, in terms of sponsorship revenues raised, and is believed to be balking at the idea of continuing to operate the team when the use of customer chassis, as opposed to chassis manufactured specifically by each team, is outlawed in 2010.” That would mean “making further investment, around [US$50M], to design and build Toro Rosso’s own chassis” (LONDON INDEPENDENT, 3/19).