Mateschitz is currently the owner of two F1 teams – Red Bull Racing and Toro Rosso – following the departure of Gerhard Berger as part-owner of the Faenza-based team in late 2008. The Austrian billionaire argued that, as long as F1 teams are the ones providing all the show, they should get to benefit the most from the commercial rights. And they are the ones who should decide how money are invested further on.
“The teams are the ones who firstly make up F1 and also bear the financial risk. They are the ones that not only have the expertise necessary, but also the passion. For me, therefore, there is only one logical and morally acceptable partner for F1 - the teams,” argued Mateschitz in an interview for German publication Auto Motor und Sport.
The Formula One Teams Association did not issue any statement on the matter. However, both CEO Luca di Montezemolo and Toyota's John Howett – the two people representing FOTA in their meetings with Ecclestone or the FIA – expressed their hopes for higher revenues for F1 teams in the future, earlier this year.
Ecclestone slammed the idea from its very beginning, stating that all revenues in Formula 1 have already been signed for and agreed upon a long time ago. As for Mateschitz latest idea, neither FIA's president Max Mosley, nor Ecclestone issued an official comment. However, Mosley's position on the matter is quite clear, as revealed earlier this year in a media briefing.
“It's not something I should get involved in but I would make the remark that the idea that F1 belongs to the teams is fallacious. You don't get to own a restaurant by eating in it every night -- and they haven't even eaten in it every night, apart from Ferrari,” said Mosley.
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