2010-2013 Championship Era

Lore & Background

Red Bull GmbH was founded in 1984 by Austrian entrepreneur Dietrich Mateschitz and Thai entrepreneur Chaleo Yoovidhya. Under their agreement, both partners invested US$500,000 to establish Red Bull GmbH. Each held a 49% ownership stake, while the remaining 2% was assigned to Chaleo's son, Chalerm. Mateschitz was appointed to oversee the company's management and global marketing strategy. Between 1984 and 1987, Red Bull GmbH reformulated Krating Daeng to suit European tastes by adding carbonation and reducing sweetness. The resulting product was launched in Austria in 1987 under the name Red Bull. By March 2012, both Chaleo Yoovidhya and Dietrich Mateschitz were estimated by Forbes to have personal net worths exceeding US$5.3 billion each. By 2022, Red Bull had expanded its distribution network to over 171 countries and sold more than 11.5 billion cans worldwide.

In Their Own Story

The air in Suzuka hung heavy with humidity and the electric tension of a season on the knife-edge. In the cockpit, Sebastian Vettel fought not just Fernando Alonso, but the ghosts of every mistake made all year. The radio crackled: 'Just keep it on the track.' Behind him, the Ferrari engine screamed a relentless challenge that had haunted them since Valencia. The gap flickered—0.3 seconds, then 0.1, disappearing like smoke. Vettel didn't lift; he threaded the needle between two barriers of pressure, his RB9 dancing on the edge of adhesion with mechanical precision born from Newey's genius. As they crossed the line, a split-second of silence in the cockpit gave way to the eruption of the crowd and the garage—a dynasty secured not by luck, but by sheer, unbreakable will.

Reader's Guide

Red Bull has used sports sponsorships as an advertising vehicle for most of its existence. The company first started sponsoring athletes in 1989, initially focusing on motorsports and extreme sports. As of 2016, the company sponsored more than 750 individual athletes and more than a dozen teams. These range from motorcycle racing, such as MotoGP, Superbike World Championship, Dakar Rally, motorcycle speedway, mountain biking, aerobatics, BMX, motocross, windsurfing, snowboarding, skateboarding, kayaking, rowing, wakeboarding, cliff-diving, BASE jumping, parkour, surfing, skating, freestyle motocross, rallycross, Formula 1 motor racing and NASCAR racing to breakdancing.

Did You Know?

• Red Bull GmbH was founded in 1984 by Austrian entrepreneur Dietrich Mateschitz and Thai entrepreneur Chaleo Yoovidhya.
• The drink was launched in Austria in 1987 under the name Red Bull.
• By 2022, Red Bull had sold more than 11.5 billion cans worldwide.