Red Bull F1 Owner Dietrich Mateschitz said that his company "could quit Formula 1 if he is not happy with the way the sport is run," accoridng to Andrew Benson of the BBC. His remarks follow Red Bull driver Daniel Ricciardo's exclusion from the Australian Grand Prix and the adoption of new rules. Mateschitz said Red Bull's future in F1 was more "to do with sportsmanship and political influence" than finance. He said: "In these issues there is a clear limit to what we can accept." He also referred to the "inappropriate politicisation" of the sport. His remarks were made in an interview with the Austrian newspaper Kurier, in which he was asked "under what circumstances Red Bull may end its involvement in F1." He replied: "The question is not so much whether it makes economic sense but the reasons would be to do with sportsmanship, political influence, and so on. In these issues there is a clear limit to what we can accept." Asked if he felt his acceptable "limit" had been exceeded as a result of F1's new rules and Ricciardo's disqualification, Mateschitz said: "The team has lodged a protest. The fuel-flow sensor, which was given to the teams by the federation, gave divergent readings and it is inaccurate. We can prove the exact amount of fuel flow and this was always within the limits" (BBC, 3/24).
