There is no risk the death of Red Bull mastermind Dietrich Mateschitz will result in the energy drink company pulling out of Formula 1.
That is the news from Dr Helmut Marko, who was fellow Austrian Mateschitz's closest confidante for Red Bull's F1 investments including two teams.
"Our success speaks for itself," the 79-year-old told Sport Bild magazine. "There is no need to worry that Red Bull will disappear from Formula 1 in the near future.
"We are far from finished with our mission. We want to win more races and titles," Marko added, after Red Bull won both the drivers' and constructors' world championship crowns this year.
After Mateschitz's death, a group of three new managers was installed - including former RB Leipzig CEO Oliver Mintzlaff, 47, who is in charge of sport.
Marko admits it is still unclear how the new relationship between Mintzlaff and Red Bull's F1 teams will proceed, having only shared a coffee so far.
"Our biggest plus has always been that we have many bright minds who don't need a meeting with the supervisory board before anything can be initiated," he said.
"We'll see what that looks like in the future. We'll discuss in the coming weeks what role Mr Mintzlaff will play."
For 2023, Red Bull will have less wind tunnel time as a result of winning the title but also as part of the budget cap breach penalty. Marko is also expecting a tougher challenge from Mercedes and Ferrari next year.
"But I'm not really worried," he said. "We are on the right track for 2023 and with Max (Verstappen) we have the best driver in the field."
