BERGER RETURNS WITH TORO ROSSO
Last Updated: Thursday, 09, February, 2006, 11:57
Former Formula 1 driver Gerhard Berger has bought 50% of Scuderia
Toro Rosso, the team created out of the Minardi sale to Red Bull
owner Dietrich Mateschitz.
The 46-year-old Austrian, who quit F1 as BMW's motorsport director
in 2003, has long been linked to a return to the sport as a team
principal.
As part of the new deal, Berger will have a hands-on role in the
running of STR and will "be available in an advisory capacity" in
regards to Red Bull's entire F1 involvement.
"I am aware that my Formula 1 know-how is very much valued by Red
Bull in general and by the Italian Toro Rosso team in particular,"
he said.
Under the terms of the agreement, 50% of Berger's haulage and
shipping company will fall under Mateschitz's control.
Berger recently expressed interest in running his own team after
2008, when Max Mosley's new low-cost Formula 1 comes into effect,
but the former Ferrari and McLaren star has also been connected to
Red Bull since the 1980s.
In fact Berger was the first sportsman to be sponsored by the
drinks company, which now runs multi-million dollar promotional
programmes in a variety of sports worldwide.
"Im looking forward to not only continuing to have a great time
with Dietrich Mateschitz," added Berger, "but also to being able to
implement serious and visionary business developments together in
the future.
The news of Berger's involvement is the latest in a growing list of
major F1 coups for Mateschitz.
The Austrian billionaire snatched Adrian Newey from McLaren's grasp
at the end of last year after agreeing a supply of latest-spec
Ferrari V8 engines for 2006.
He also bought Minardi at a cut-down price last September to become
F1's only owner of two teams prior to the deal with Berger.
I have known and admired Gerhard for twenty years," said
Mateschitz.
"I am particularly pleased that we will now be able to take
advantage of the synergies that undoubtedly exist between us also
for joint business activities.
from www.itv-f1.com