Photo credit: Red Bull, John Hartley Junior
Bernie Ecclestone’s Formula 1 collection represents something unique: not only the most significant and often rare single-seaters that tell the story of 70 years of the World Championship, but above all, the cars chosen, restored, and cared for by the man who transformed Formula 1 into a global success, preparing it for today’s reality. As if to say: cars chosen and preserved as a living document of an extraordinary history.
The risk that this collection might be dispersed existed. Now, no longer: Mark Mateschitz, the son of Dietrich Mateschitz — the man who turned the Red Bull energy drink into a global brand through sports, particularly Formula 1 — has, with this decision, first and foremost, paid tribute to his recently deceased father. But there is more: he has laid the foundation to give the Red Bull team the place it deserves in the history of top-tier motorsport. The Ecclestone collection, in fact, reaches the years when the Austrian brand started becoming a constructor after being a long-time sponsor.
Today, Red Bull, with 8 Drivers' World Championships and 6 Constructors' titles, is no longer content with designing and building winning single-seaters: it has also embarked on the challenging and costly path of becoming an engine manufacturer for its own cars, which, from 2026, will power its vehicles in the global championship battle.
The message conveyed by Mark Mateschitz — of making this collection publicly visible to fans and historians through a permanent facility that will surely become a pilgrimage site for racing enthusiasts — demonstrates the intent to establish Red Bull as a true and authoritative constructor, rather than just a beverage company using Formula 1 for publicity. Certainly, this is a serious and well-thought-out marketing strategy that reflects the professionalism of this company and those who lead it.
As Roarington, we are pleased — not only for what all of this represents but also, and we are grateful for this, because Roarington’s creator, Fritz Kaiser, stood alongside Dietrich Mateschitz in 1994, playing a key role in strategic decisions when Red Bull entered Formula 1 by acquiring the majority of Sauber with the involvement of sponsor Petronas. In 2004, Red Bull definitively became a constructor by acquiring Jaguar Racing, which had withdrawn from competition due to financial difficulties. The rest is history. The chapter of Formula 1 within Roarington thus takes on even greater significance: its driving force is a passionate and deeply involved protagonist in a great sporting history that will never end.
SUPERMIND TRIVIA