Red Bull’s ownership of Racing Bulls has faced criticism before, and team principal Alan Permane may have just given another reason why the arrangement should be reconsidered. The team now known as Racing Bulls has been under the Red Bull umbrella since 2005, when Dietrich Mateschitz bought out the Minardi F1 team, even though it’s had a number of different identities over the years.
Red Bull’s ownership of Racing Bulls has faced criticism before, and team principal Alan Permane may have just given another reason why the arrangement should be reconsidered.
The team now known as Racing Bulls has been under the Red Bull umbrella since 2005, when Dietrich Mateschitz bought out the Minardi F1 team, even though it’s had a number of different identities over the years.
Brown has said previously that Racing Bulls’ role as a ‘B-team’ creates a structure that “compromises the integrity” of Formula One.
Alan Permane highlights that one of Racing Bulls’ ‘goals’ is to develop F1 drivers for Red Bull
Racing Bulls team principal Alan Permane recently spoke to Auto Motor und Sport about Isack Hadjar’s rise from the midfield to the front-running Red Bull squad.
The British engineer said, “One of our team’s goals is to give young drivers a first taste of Formula 1. When they are ready, they move up to Red Bull.
“That is now the case with Isack. Of course, I would be delighted if he stayed. But that wouldn’t be right. He feels ready for the next step and wants to move on. He has performed very strongly this year.
“Of course, there is a touch of sadness, but at the same time a lot of pride when you see his progress over the last few years.”
The view of Racing Bulls as a feeder team for Red Bull has been around since they were first established, but Permane’s direct confirmation still stands out.
If Racing Bulls are consistently losing their best people and resources to Red Bull, it makes it difficult for them ever to build a real championship challenge. It raises questions about whether their structure can genuinely support long-term success in its own right.
Racing Bulls Will Never Be Competitive In Formula 1, And It’s A Big Problem For The Sport
It’s not uncommon for F1 teams to use their existing connections to get drivers into certain seats, but it usually happens when there’s a clear main driver in place that the team is built around.
With Racing Bulls, though, both drivers are more focused on performing well enough to earn a promotion to Red Bull than building something long-term with the team.
When it becomes clear that the opportunity won’t come, they typically move on, much like Pierre Gasly and Carlos Sainz did earlier in their careers.
It’s not just drivers either. Over the winter break, there were reports of several staff members moving between Red Bull and Racing Bulls. This kind of movement isn’t new within their setup and has even been part of Zak Brown’s complaints about the close relationship between the two teams.
If Formula 1 wants a world championship where any team or driver truly has a shot at competing at the top level, they might need to rethink how models like Red Bull’s partnership with Racing Bulls fit into that vision.
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Category: General Sports
