Red Bull and the A1-Ring: How Formula 1 Returned to Austria After 11 Years

By
at Internationaled.org

Published: June 18, 2014

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In modern Formula One, money talks. That is why there are races in Abu Dhabi and Singapore, and that is why, this weekend, the F1 travelling circus is returning to Spielberg, a small town in the Austrian Alps.

In 2004, billionaire Red Bull owner Dietrich Mateschitz purchased what was then known as the A1-Ring, which had hosted the last Austrian Grand Prix the year before. That same year, he bought the Jaguar F1 team and renamed it Red Bull Racing. The circuit was also renamed, predictably, as the Red Bull Ring.

Mateschitz is not only Austrian, but he was born just 60 kilometres from the picturesque track, in Sankt Marein im Murztal. He still lives in Austria, and the headquarters of Red Bull GmbH—parent company of the racing team and the energy drink—is located near Salzburg.

And now Mateschitz is footing some of the bill to bring grand prix racing back to his homeland. "Ticket revenues will probably cover the cost of staging the race, but not the promoter's fee," the Red Bull boss told Autosport's Gerhard Kuntschik and Jonathan Noble when the return to Spielberg was announced last July. "That's my expense."

Indeed, he is being credited not only with the revival of the race but also with of an entire region. Without Mateschitz's investment, "the area would be completely dead," said three-time world champion Niki Lauda, per Austrian broadcaster ORF (via motorsport.com.



After Mateschitz purchased the A1-Ring, he completely rebuilt the infrastructure of the circuit.

At its reopening in 2011, Lauda said, "It's really impressive what's happened here. ... The whole course is in perfect condition and has similar modern facilities to those in Bahrain," according to a Red Bull press release. That year, the Spielberg track hosted DTM and Formula Two races in preparation for a bid to bring F1 back to Austria.

When a gap appeared o...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Formula 1

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