Red Bull Lose Out on $91,500,000 Over Mercedes Because of Their “Energy Drink Team” Reputation

Vidit Dhawan | 14/10/2023
Red Bull Lose Out on $91,500,000 Over Mercedes Because of Their “Energy Drink Team” Reputation

Red Bull and arch-rivals Mercedes have declared contrasting profits recently. Compared to the whopping $108,278,750 the Silver Arrows earned, the Milton Keynes outfit has just registered profits of $16,820,000 in the same period. The huge difference of about $91,500,000 in profits is due to Red Bull’s “energy drink team” reputation, as per Soy Motor.

In comparison to Mercedes, the profits of Red Bull are surprising as the Milton Keynes outfit finished second in the Constructors’ Championship in 2021. The main reason why there is such a massive difference in the profits of the two companies is because of their structures of ownership.

According to a report put out by soymotor.com, the Mercedes F1 team has three equal owners: parent company Mercedes, Ineos, and team principal Toto Wolff. On the other hand, Red Bull wholly owns their F1 team as well.

Why have Mercedes recorded significantly higher profits than Red Bull?

Since Red Bull has full ownership of their F1 team, they have more flexibility in the way they report their earnings. As per the same report put out by soymotor.com, the Red Bull parent company may find it more profitable to record a lower spending for their team.

As a result of the same, the parent company will be able to declare higher dividends for their shareholders. Another reason for the huge difference in profits recorded between the two sides is the way Red Bull’s team is structured.

The Red Bull F1 team has three different branches: Red Bull Racing, Red Bull Powertrains and Red Bull Advanced Technologies. Each of these branches has an individual relationship with the parent company of Red Bull.

How does Red Bull team’s branches affect their profits?

Even though all three branches of the Red Bull F1 team work on the same campus, the accounts of all of them are separate. Red Bull Racing’s accounts focuses solely on the resources that are directly involved in the operations of the team. On the other hand, Red Bull Powertrains focuses on the resources that are used for the team’s engines.

Their accounts involve the partnership that Red Bull currently has with Honda and the one that they will share with Ford from the 2026 season onwards. Meanwhile, Red Bull Advanced Technologies focuses on the resources that the team uses to build their hypercar.

Post Edited By: Somin Bhattacharjee
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Vidit Dhawan

Vidit Dhawan, a Formula 1 Editor at The SportsRush, is intrinsically connected with everything around the sport — from the engine roar, the cacophony on the grandstands to the action. He fell in love with F1 during the inaugural Indian GP in 2011. After more than a decade of deep engagement with the sport, Vidit insists he will remain a lifelong fan of Fernando Alonso, and sees the future of F1 in Charles Leclerc. A sports fanatic from childhood, he discovered his passion for writing while pursuing a bachelor's degree in international and global studies. Vidit has written over 1,700 articles, ranging from news reports to opinions. He thrives covering live action, and loves to dig into the contrasting personalities in the F1 bandwagon and narrate their journey in life as well as the sport. Vidit also follows tennis and football, enjoys playing as well as coaching chess.

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