Ecclestone: I would be delighted if Red Bull took over F1

Formula 1 boss Bernie Ecclestone has welcomed reports Red Bull might be looking at buying Formula 1 from current owners CVC.

Some journalists have speculated there is more than meets the eye to the former world champions’ mischief-making in past weeks, including bemoaning Mercedes’ dominance, criticising rules that are “killing” the sport, and threatening to quit.

Publications including Auto Motor und Sport, Blick and Osterreich have all reported rumours that Red Bull mogul and billionaire Dietrich Mateschitz is looking to sell Red Bull Racing and Toro Rosso and “take over from CVC as the main shareholder of formula one”.

“I would be delighted,” F1 supremo Ecclestone told a group of selected reporters in Malaysia. “They (CVC) would be as well. Their business is buying and selling companies, so if somebody comes along with a good offer then I’m sure they’d sell. They’d have to.”

Christian Horner, a traditional ally of Ecclestone’s and team boss of the premier Red Bull team, said on Friday: “I mean, Red Bull don’t run formula one.”

He had been asked by a journalist at Sepang what Red Bull would do to change F1 if it did promote the sport.

“Red Bull promotes events, it promotes championships and has done so successfully,” said Horner, explaining that he thinks the sporting and technical rules “are driving the costs far too high”.

“I think to get those under control needs a fundamental look at what formula one is and what does formula one need to be in the future,” he added.