Red Bull have been on top of the world in 2022. The cost cap and Sky Sports saga were only a blot on what otherwise was a stellar year for the Milton-Keynes-based outfit. For such a great season, the team has Dietrich Mateschitz to thank for laying the groundwork. As things stand, the late owner’s last wish for the team was a new wind tunnel, but apparently, Dr. Helmut Marko thinks it’s a waste of time.

Red Bull recently announced that they would be investing in a new wind tunnel. According to team boss Christian Horner, this was one of the promises Mateschitz had made to the team before he passed away. However, Helmut Marko feels this is a complete waste of time and money.

Talking about how wind tunnels are defunct to the German magazine Auto Motor und Sport, he said, “All this is idiocy, because technological innovation it seems more and more to direct the design and development of cars solely towards the use of computerized CFD simulation.”

“Instead, the teams’ failure to agree on the possibility of limiting the use of wind tunnels will lead us to invest another 50 million euros (approx $50 M).” [translated via Google Translate].

And let’s not forget that Red Bull already have a $7M fine on them for exceeding the 2021 budget cap.

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Even though things are looking up for the 2022 Driver’s and Constructors’ champions, the death of Mr. Mateschitz is going to spell a grave upheaval for the team. While talking about this, Marko explained exactly why the death of Red Bull‘s owner is more concerning than at the first glance.

Helmut Marko ponders how Red Bull might lose autonomy after Dietrich Mateschitz’s death

Red Bull has not just lost an owner, rather, Formula 1 lost a pioneer when the sport lost Mr. Dietrich Mateschitz. That being said, as Marko would lead us to believe, the ramifications of this loss are to be more profound than just a reason to mourn.

Marko said, “The management methods will certainly change, given that ‘de facto’ the decision-making power was totally in the hands of Mateschitz, but Red Bull Racing was the strongest and most efficient marketing tool of the group. and for this reason we have worked very independently in the past.”

“In this sense, we were the only ones who did not have to follow certain company rules and this autonomy existed with the consent of Dietrich himself,” he concluded.

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Should the management hierarchy change at Red Bull?