After months of speculation and denials, Red Bull chief Dietrich Mateschitz has confirmed that Scuderia Toro Rosso is up for sale. STR is the effective b-squad to Red Bull Racing, and is jointly owned by Mateschitz and former F1 driver Gerhard Berger, having purchased the perennial back-marker Minardi team in 2006.
The impetus for the sale is reportedly the new regulation banning joint development or customer cars beginning in 2010, which puts STR and its collaboration with the Red Bull main team in jeopardy. Toro Rosso made an admirable start to the season this past Sunday at the Australian Grand Prix, where four-time Champ Car champ Sebastien Bourdais finished in the points on his F1 debut after narrowly missing a fourth-place finish. If the team continues to outperform expectations, Mateschitz and Berger should have no trouble finding a buyer by 2010, until which time STR will continue its campaign under current ownership. Numerous potential buyers have been touted already, including Tony Teixeira, who already has a good relationship with engine supplier Ferrari after negotiating a similar deal for his A1GP series.
[Source: Autosport, Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty]
The impetus for the sale is reportedly the new regulation banning joint development or customer cars beginning in 2010, which puts STR and its collaboration with the Red Bull main team in jeopardy. Toro Rosso made an admirable start to the season this past Sunday at the Australian Grand Prix, where four-time Champ Car champ Sebastien Bourdais finished in the points on his F1 debut after narrowly missing a fourth-place finish. If the team continues to outperform expectations, Mateschitz and Berger should have no trouble finding a buyer by 2010, until which time STR will continue its campaign under current ownership. Numerous potential buyers have been touted already, including Tony Teixeira, who already has a good relationship with engine supplier Ferrari after negotiating a similar deal for his A1GP series.
[Source: Autosport, Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty]
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