He founded an empire with a soft drink, Red Bull, the symbol of all energy drinks, and touted it through Formula 1, football and extreme sports. Dietrich Mateschitz died at the age of 78 after a short illness, on the eve of the US Grand Prix that could give his team another world title.
Austrian from Sankt Marein im Murtzal, during a business trip to Thailand he discovered Krating Daeng, the energy drink that would become his fortune. In 1984 he founded Red Bull (of which he now held 49 percent of the shares) with the Thai partner Chaleo Yoovidhya, launching this drink in all markets of the world among categories of workers subjected to long work cycles or prolonged physical fatigue. The symbol already represented two bulls colliding, a symbol of strength then attenuated by the wings used in advertising.
His second brilliant idea is to use Formula 1 to advertise brand and product. In 2004 he took over Jaguar Racing, the following year he bought Minardi, renaming it Toro Rosso (today AlphaTauri) and making it a satellite team. Between 2010 and 2013 he won four world titles with Sebastian Vettel, then returned to success in 2021 and this year with Max Verstappen.
In the same years the Red Bull empire expands to other disciplines. Between 2005 and 2006 he bought the football teams of Salzburg and the MetroStars, later renamed New York Red Bulls. In 2007 he founded Red Bull Brasil, a Brazilian football team that today plays in the second division of the Paulista league. In Brazil, in the first division, he owns the Bragantino. In 2009 he founded Leipzig in the German league, where he goes back from amateurs to the Bundesliga. Since 2012 he is also the owner of the German hockey club EHC München, renamed Red Bull München. He directly sponsors many top athletes in various disciplines, in Italy among others Matteo Berrettini in tennis, Sofia Goggia and Dominik Paris in skiing, Gigi Donnarumma in football.
Forbes magazine in 2021 ranks Mateschitz in the 56th place among the richest people in the world with an estimated assets of 25 billion dollars. According to the site redbull.com, 9804 billion cans were sold worldwide last year and turnover in one year went from 6.307 billion to 7,816 billion euros, an increase of more than 24%.
“He was an incredible man, we owe him everything for what he created and allowed us to do. He had a great passion for Formula 1, today and tomorrow we will do the best in his honor”, these are the words of Christian Horner. Red Bull team principal, minutes before qualifying for the US Grand Prix began at the Austin, Texas circuit.