A thirst for success and a claim to power: How Red Bull conquered the sport - and what that means for Bora-hansgrohe

>> Red Bull entry: New name for Bora-Hansgrohe - budget almost doubled

Every year, the renowned business magazine Forbes publishes a list of the 25 most valuable sports empires in the world. Unsurprisingly, the list includes a number of individuals, families and corporations that own major sports clubs or sports. However, one name is missing: Red Bull. Yet the Austrian company also owns majority stakes in numerous sports teams. Last year, Forbes valued Red Bull's two Formula 1 teams alone at almost 4 billion US dollars - and then there are all the other sporting commitments. Red Bull would therefore certainly have been among the top 20 sports empires.

But whether it was a drinks manufacturer or a sports brand, the Forbes editors probably didn't quite agree. However, it is impossible to imagine sport without Red Bull. The latest project is cycling. An objection to the involvement can still be lodged with the Austrian antitrust authorities until 26 January. However, this is not very likely.

Red Bull's rise: first extreme sports, then Formula 1 and football

Red Bull's investment in the German team Bora-hansgrohe is, in a way, an honour for cycling as a whole. After all, the company has always been very selective about where it invests: For a trendy and exciting image, initially in trendy and extreme sports such as surfing, aerobatics or cliff diving, and later for more brand growth in popular areas such as Formula 1, football or ice hockey.

And wherever Red Bull was involved, it led teams to the top and to great victories - with the company being the main winner in the end, as all successes were achieved under its own name. A megalomaniac and grandiose marketing strategy. "The question is whether Red Bull still needs sport, or rather the sport of Red Bull," founder Dietrich Mateschitz once said. The company can now boast seven Formula 1 drivers' world championships, numerous national championship titles in football and ice hockey as well as two DFB Cup successes with RB Leipzig. In a way, Ralph Denk and his team are on a catapult to much higher sporting spheres. But what can be deduced from the Austrians' previous sporting commitments for Bora-hansgrohe?

Red Bull benefits from experts and high investments

So far, Red Bull's success has been based on an unprecedented promotion of young talent, expertise and enormous investments. At least money has never been a limiting factor. According to Forbes, Red Bull has invested over two billion in Formula 1 since its entry in 2005 - a large part of this in research, development and personnel. The company also built two sports academies near Salzburg and in Leipzig for a total of almost 100 million euros. Both are among the most modern in Europe and are the centre of training for young footballers and ice hockey players. Bora-hansgrohe also already uses the training centre near Salzburg. The company will increasingly benefit from this in the future.

Red Bull founder Mateschitz brought in external expertise to ensure the right handling of all the money. Helmut Marko in Formula 1, the former coach Pierre Pagé in ice hockey and Ralf Rangnick in football are and were quasi governors who manage the individual sports for Red Bull. They are all controversial and uncomfortable personalities who occasionally cause offence, but are also considered forward-thinking and extremely meticulous. They were indispensable for success. In cycling, Bora-hansgrohe already has such types in Ralph Denk and Rolf Aldag. However, it can be assumed that a lot is changing in the team around them.

Red Bull meets different conditions at Bora-hansgrohe

Red Bull's claim to date has also been to have the cleverest minds in its own ranks - regardless of the area. In Formula 1, the company brought in designer Adrian Newey from McLaren in 2006, who is regarded as the best in his field and from then on played a key role in the rise of the Red Bull racing team. The lure at the time was an alleged annual salary of 10 million US dollars. Although cycling is not at home in these dimensions, it shows that Red Bull pays what it needs to be successful. In football and in the academies, too, top people from all areas are brought together to maximise success. New and renowned names in the management and coaching staff at Bora would therefore come as no surprise in the future.

Nevertheless, there are serious differences for Red Bull at Bora-hansgrohe. Up to now, the group has always followed the pattern: take over a team from scratch or in dire straits - and from then on organise it according to its own ideas. This is now different with Bora.

In Formula 1, Dietrich Mateschitz bought the racing licence of the Jaguar racing team in 2004 and thus owned his own team. A year later, the process was repeated with the struggling Minardi team. In football, the company acquired the ailing traditional club Austria Salzburg in 2005 and replaced it with Red Bull Salzburg; in German football, the newly founded club RB Leipzig secured the right to compete in the fifth-tier Oberliga in 2009. Other teams were taken over in New York and Sao Paulo. And in ice hockey, EHC Munich was saved from having its licence revoked in 2012 and was promoted to owner shortly afterwards.

The Red Bull method: take charge yourself

Mateschitz has always been concerned with co-determination: after all, Red Bull stands for a performance promise, an energy drink that "gives you wings" - failure does not fit into the marketing concept. So if the company name is to be used for something, then you want to have a say in it yourself. Pure sponsorship was not enough.

At Bora-hansgrohe, however, Red Bull - unlike in previous projects - will encounter intact structures in which not everything can be set up from scratch. A new and exciting constellation. However, according to media reports, Red Bull is also taking over 51 per cent of the shares in Bora-hansgrohe. This means that the company is formally in control.

At the same time, the Red Bull entourage will no longer have to go through an introductory period and a certain learning phase, as they already have a well-established and well-managed team in Bora-hansgrohe. In Formula 1 and football, on the other hand, the company had to learn everything from scratch. This means that higher goals can be set immediately, which is probably why the transfer strategy is different.

Focus now on top drivers instead of young talent

This is because Red Bull's core competence has always been talent scouting and the promotion of young talent. Six of the 20 drivers in this year's Formula 1 field once went through the company's junior programme, and world champions Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen are also pupils of the company's own talent factory. Around 800 athletes now belong to the Group empire, many of whom have been part of the programme since their youth. The football clubs are also committed to developing young players - among others, Erling Haaland was helped to make his breakthrough in Salzburg. In cycling, Red Bull will also want to promote talent and install farm teams, but will certainly not derive a focus for Bora-hansgrohe from this. That would be a step backwards. The focus is more on ready-made riders who promise immediate success.

There will be no shortage of arguments in favour of a move to the Red Bull camp. And there will be no shortage of money - after all, we are used to quite different sums in Formula 1 or football. With the Austrian drinks manufacturer, Bora-hansgrohe is likely to join the super teams around UAE Emirates, Visma-Lease a Bike and Ineos Grenadiers, which have a budget of 40 to 50 million. Bora may even overtake them. After all, Red Bull has also quickly risen to become the budget king in ice hockey and Formula 1, with the latter having an annual budget of 400 million US dollars according to Forbes. A cycling team is comparatively inexpensive, but winning the Tour de France is no less attractive.

Oliver Mintzlaff is the new strong man at Red Bull

When it comes to possible reinforcements, there is no stopping us. The first rumours are already circulating. Wout Van Aert and Thomas Pidcock already have partnerships with Red Bull, so a move to the corporate team is not so far-fetched. And Visma-Lease a Bike has demonstrated several times in the past that existing contracts are not insurmountable hurdles. Another candidate is Remco Evenepoel, who would certainly find an ideal environment for his career at Red Bull - especially as a young, self-confident rider, he would be the perfect face for the company's cycling activities. According to the news agency dpa, there has already been contact. The dpa also referred to Red Bull Managing Director Oliver Mintzlaff, "that the squad will be reorganised from 2025 and that the goal - of course - is to win the Tour de France."

It is another difference to the previous engagements: Following the death of Dietrich Mateschitz in 2022, Mintzlaff is now in charge of the company's sports marketing. Bora-hansgrohe is the first team he has introduced to the sports portfolio, which gives the project a special significance. However, Mintzlaff is not a cycling expert. It is possible that he will also bring in an expert to act as an intermediary between the cycling team and the corporate headquarters, following the tried and tested method.

It remains to be seen whether Red Bull's claim to power and approach will be compatible with the established structures at Bora-hansgrohe. It is a marriage with huge promises, but also with a lot to lose. What Red Bull need not fear, however: Unlike in football, there are unlikely to be any fan protests over the logo or the name. In this respect, cycling is commercially easy: the more the merrier.