The unique relationship between Dieter Mateschitz and the team bosses at Red Bull

Dieter Mateschitz is a different guy. He buys two Formula 1 teams, but unlike the people who preceded him, he has no desire whatsoever to come to the fore as team principal. He leaves that to Christian Horner and Franz Tost and the loyalty between these men is unique in the F1 world.

Christian Horner is now the longest-serving team boss in Formula 1. He will start his 17th season with Red Bull Racing in 2021. Franz Tost, who joined Toro Rosso a year later, will start his 16th season for that team. In doing so, they leave all their colleagues far behind.

In comparison: Ferrari used four-team bosses and Mercedes three in those years. Not to mention the other teams, where in many cases new backers were the cause of major shifts. Among team bosses, Toto Wolff is already considered a veteran with his eight years in the sport.

Long-serving team bosses usually also own

The position of Horner and Tost is not only unique in the current Formula 1 field, but also from a historical perspective. Long-serving team bosses from the past were in most cases also co-owners of the team and they will of course not fire themselves. Think of Ron Dennis, Frank Williams, Ken Tyrell, Eddie Jordan and Colin Chapman.

The only "regular employee" who comes close to the current Red Bull duo is Jean Todt, who was the team principal at Ferrari for 14 years, which under the Frenchman's leadership achieved the greatest successes.

Albon and Perez sign of a break in trend at Red Bull

Until recently, this policy of continuity at Red Bull Racing was also implemented by the drivers. Between 2007 and 2018, there were only six different drivers for the team, although that number is more comparable to the other top teams in those years.

In that respect, the last few years have really been a break in the trend, with two driver changes in the same number of years. The cause of this can perhaps be found in the desperation to finally beat Mercedes.

The question is only when the lack of world titles will also affect the relationship between Mateschitz and Horner and whether that is possible at all. Horner is only 47 and in theory, can last for many years, but at Ferrari, where they wait even longer for a world title, the management is regularly changed. 

This article was written and originally published by Pelle on the Dutch edition of GPblog.com.