The energy drink’s debut in F1
Who remembers that the sponsors who shared the F1 world titles from 2010 to now were both on the bodywork and wings of the 1995 Sauber? In that season, in fact, Peter’s team sported both Petronas – Mercedes’ main partner – and Red Bulla brand that made its debut in the Circus in 1995. At the wheel of the C14 Heinz Harald Frentzen contested all 16 GPs, while Karl Wendlinger was ousted after the first four races in which he demonstrated that he had not recovered from the accident in Monaco the previous season which was followed by weeks of coma for the Austrian driver (in his place Sauber fielded the Frenchman Jean Christophe Bouillon).
Frentzen himself on Twitter underlined how amazed he was at the beginning of the season by Dietrich Mateschitz’s ‘gamble’. “Mercedes’ abandonment at the end of 1994 seemed dramatic for the team but that wasn’t the case – Frentzen’s words – because we inherited the Ford engines that had equipped Schumacher’s Benetton in 1994 and what’s more, great help came from a then unknown company, Red Bull. The owner of this brand, Dietrich Mateschitz, had invested all his money in the company and in sponsorships and believed that Formula 1 was the only way to become famous. I was impressed by a person like him who placed all his hopes in us“.
Flavio Briatore and Benetton in 1995 in fact managed to equip Michael Schumacher with the same Renault engines that had already been in the Williams bonnets for some time and 1995 was a season practically dominated by the German driver capable of winning nine of the 16 races on the calendar. The Ford engines, however, did not disfigure at all and contributed to Sauber’s excellent season thanks to the skill of the ‘garage engineer’ Peter and the talent of Frentzen, even third in the Italian GP in Monza. Frentzen finished ninth in the Drivers’ standings with 15 points and Sauber was seventh in the Constructors’ standings with 21 points. A more than convincing start for the Red Bull brand which today dominates F1 with Max Verstappen.
