Red Bull’s Unmatched Financial Independence in F1

Red Bull remains financially independent in F1, thriving without external investors while deepening its commitment through bold, global investments.

Red Bull Racing, along with Ferrari, remains one of the very few teams on the F1 grid that has always managed to stay financially independent in the modern F1 era.

While it has naturally attracted numerous sponsors and partners over the years, especially as its success grew, it has never had to seek investments from outside companies.

One-third of Mercedes F1 now belongs to Ineos founder and billionaire Sir Jim Ratcliffe; McLaren has long been supported by Mumtalakat, Bahrain’s sovereign wealth fund, and was even forced to accept a cash injection from MSP Sports Capital at the end of 2020.

Sauber has been acquired by Audi, Williams is owned by private investment firm Dorilton Capital, while Aston Martin, which took over Force India/Racing Point under owner Lawrence Stroll, is now backed by a consortium.

“As for Red Bull’s stance on external investments, it has never had to be discussed since Red Bull joined Formula 1,” Horner proudly states.

“I believe the commitment to Formula 1 has never been stronger, especially with the engine project and everything the Red Bull brand is investing globally in F1, with our own Grand Prix and the amount of promotion it dedicates to the sport.”

Even F1 had to be acquired by Liberty Media from Bernie Ecclestone. The sport has only grown stronger since, with every team now valued at at least $1 billion, countries competing to join the calendar, and F1 attracting a steady stream of lucrative sponsors, such as the LVMH partnership launched this year, valued at $1 billion over its 10-year contract.

Behind the scenes, however, Greg Maffei stepped down as CEO at the end of the year. He was replaced on an interim basis by chairman John Malone. Additionally, former F1 CEO Chase Carey returned to Liberty’s executive board to support current F1 president and CEO Stefano Domenicali.

Horner doesn’t believe these changes will impact things.

“As for Liberty, it’s clear they are undergoing an evolution. Greg Maffei did an excellent job during his tenure, changes have been made, and it’s great to see Chase Carey return, even if it’s in a more distant role than before.”

“When you look at the strength of the sport, the demand for Formula 1, the countries pushing to host F1 races, the investments made in the sport, deals like the one with LVMH, the interest in the sport has never been higher, and it’s up to the sport to continue delivering on track.”