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Coulthard says Mateschitz's '20 year vision' made the team earn respect
David Coulthard has spoken about the importance of Red Bull co-founder Dietrich Mateschitz as Red Bull celebrates 20 years of racing in 2024. The Scottish driver was part of the team when they started in the premier class of motorsport, a team that has become one of the greatest in Formula 1 history.
Coulthard began his career at Williams in 1993, first as a test driver, and then as a replacement for the late Ayrton Senna in 1994. In 1996, the Scot made the move to McLaren, where he drove until 2004, before moving to Red Bull Racing.
He became the first driver for the Austrian team after Mateschitz decided to take over the Jaguar F1 team as they struggled in the sport, starting the F1 project that has now seen six constructors' championships and seven drivers' championships.
On his arrival at Red Bull, Coulthard, speaking to PlanetF1, said there was no thought of a long-term plan: "I never had the vision of 20 years [of Red Bull] or something. I very much had the vision of what are the next few years? What can I achieve? Or what can we do in the coming years?"
Coulthard on Mateschitz and his F1 vision
Coulthard continued on, "I didn’t know if Dietrich Mateschitz had that long-term vision because before I signed the contract, I wanted to know not whether he had the money, because that’s only a fraction of the story, but actually if they have the brain power as well as the budget. And his vision was absolutely first we get the respect of the paddock and then my target is we are Formula 1 World Champions."
Since then, Red Bull Racing has been in existence for 20 years, turning into a team that perhaps very few people who first joined the Austrian team would not have believed, Coulthard included. The Scot concluded by saying, “And that same vision and belief is what were the foundations of what has now become a 20-year celebration. But my main thing was who are the people that are there? What have I been used to? Where are the gaps and how do we fill them? So it was a very matter-of-fact approach to putting the pieces in place. And actually, I don’t think that’s any different today than it was then.”
This article was created in collaboration with Cas van de Kleut
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8 October 2024
