Former team boss Günther Steiner has expressed his surprise that Red Bull and Visa RB still share the same owner. Both teams fall under Red Bull GmbH, which sparked discussions again during the race weekend in Singapore. Daniel Ricciardo, a driver for Visa RB, snatched the fastest lap from McLaren, the biggest rival of sister team Red Bull. “A strange move,” Steiner commented.
“In my view, grabbing that fastest lap was a bit odd,” Günther Steiner said in an episode of the Red Flags podcast. “It’s becoming more and more of a problem – in a sport like Formula 1, no owner should have two teams. It always raises questions about whether there are team orders being given.”
Steiner Acknowledges Red Bull’s Contribution but Foresees Long-Term Issues
Steiner acknowledges that Red Bull has made a significant contribution to the sport, but he sees a problem in the long term. “We must have respect for what Red Bull has done,” Steiner continued. “I was there when Mr. Mateschitz (founder Dietrich Mateschitz) bought the Minardi team.” Minardi was later renamed the training team Toro Rosso, the current Visa RB. “That team, and Formula 1 in general, was struggling at the time,” Steiner continued. “If Red Bull hadn’t intervened, Minardi would probably have disappeared. But the sport has grown significantly since then, and I think measures need to be taken in the future against owners who own multiple teams.”
Preventing Similar Situations in the Future
According to Steiner, it is important that Formula 1 takes action to prevent similar situations in the future. “They don’t have to be drastic measures,” he added. “We must not forget how much Red Bull has invested in the sport. We can’t just tell them what to do with their teams. But it is something that needs to be thought about in the future. How can we prevent these kinds of things from happening again?” Steiner referred to the incident in Singapore.
“It is purely a problem because Visa RB has the same owner as Max Verstappen,” Steiner concluded. “Suppose Sauber had driven the fastest lap, then nobody would have said anything. The problem is simply that both teams are under the same parent company,” said the former team boss of Haas.
