The future for Red Bull
Not convinced? There's more evidence on hand to suggest that the 78-year-old Mateschitz might be contemplating making a few changes to his business portfolio. A recent leak of documents confirmed long-standing rumours that the Red Bull team is looking to partner Porsche as its engine supplier from 2026 - but went even further by disclosing that Porsche was proposing taking on a 50-50 ownership of Red Bull Technologies that operates its senior F1 outfit, with a possible view to buying the rest in due course.
That deal looks to have hit something of a roadblock in the last few weeks, with Red Bull's insistence on dictating the terms of the arrangement throwing everything into doubt. But if Mateschitz is indeed looking to downsize his investment in F1, then offloading AlphaTauri is a sound stand-by strategy. F1's current success means that the team has never been more highly valued, and he has a ready-made buyer on stand-by in Andretti.
You could hardly blame Mateschitz for wanting to cash out: unlike many billionaire businessmen who dabble in F1 only to run for the hills when it's not an instant success, Mateschitz has stayed committed to the sport for almost two decades. He's taken what was initially a 'party team' all the way to the pinnacle of the sport - not just once, but several times. That's more than many 'serious' global automotive conglomerates have managed in recent years (Jaguar, Toyota, Honda - we're looking at you here.)
It may also be the moment that Marko bows out as well. At 79 years old, and with his pioneering driver development programme seemingly dormant, it seems the natural moment for him to step away from a lifetime in motorsport. That would leave Christian Horner alone at the helm at Milton Keynes, unless he too decides that this is the right time to find new challenges, depending on what happens with the Porsche deal and who ends up calling the ultimate shots at the team.
Whatever happens, there's a certain "fin de siècle" feel to what's going on, with Herta looking like just the next domino in line towards a bigger, more profound sea change in F1. What happens next - and indeed, the very future of the current championship-leading team and its star driver Max Verstappen - may well depend on whether Herta makes it onto the grid in 2023.
And you were looking forward to a quiet autumn and off-season!
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