Dietrich Mateschitz, the co-founder and owner of Red Bull and a huge name in motorsport advertising, has died after a long illness.
The Austrian was best known for his long-time stewardship of the energy drinks giant, which he co-founded in the 1980s. He combined that business with his love for motorsport, sponsoring teams across several different series through the decades.
Most notably, in November 2004, his company bought the Jaguar Formula 1 racing team and created Red Bull Racing, now one of the strongest teams on the grid. Red Bull also owned the Toro Rosso team which was rebranded in recent teams as AlphaTauri
As the news began to reach the F1 paddock, Red Bull called their staff back to the hospitality area to inform them before it was made public. Sky Sports cameras caught that moment around 45 minutes before the start of qualifying for the United States Grand Prix in Austin.
Mateschitz also played a key role in Red Bull’s expansion into football. German giants RB Leipzig, Austrian side Red Bull Salzburg, MLS franchise the New York Red Bulls and Brazilian outfit Red Bull Bragantino are among the company’s portfolio of football clubs.
Both in Styria, now in Austria but at the time part of Nazi Germany in 1944, Mateschitz grew up to graduate with a marketing degree from Vienna University in 1972. He would later put it to great use, after discovering the drink Krating Daeng in Asia which he would later market as Red Bull.
