Red Bull Racing is reported to be in the midst of an internal row following the use of the British national anthem for the team on the podium in China.
The team races under an Austrian licence and is owned by Austrian Red Bull boss Dietrich Mateschitz, and the choice of the British anthem angered motorsport advisor Helmut Marko.
“I am disappointed because we have a Austrian licence but no Austrian anthem was played,” Marko was quoted by Eurosport as saying. “Probably the Chinese do not have it.”
But the team evolved from Jaguar Racing, its previous incarnation, and Stewart Racing before that, both quintessentially British teams. The team is based in Milton Keynes and will have retained a large number of mostly British mechanics, whose reward was to hear their anthem played on the podium.
The present management structure comprises Christian Horner, Adrian Newey and Geoff Willis, all British-born. The dispute is likely to continue.
