Shaun White Shares This $5 Billion Worth Factor in Common With 4x F1 Champions Red Bull

If you ever had to guess what it would cost to buy an F1 team, you might never make the right guess. $1 is what it cost Red Bull to purchase the F1 team it currently owns. But of course, it’s not as simple as one might think.

Red Bull took over the Jaguar F1 team, which was originally started by Jackie Stewart. It cost them $1 to purchase it from Ford, with the commitment to inject $400 million into the development of the team in the next 3 years.

This acquisition gave them a unique feat to add to their CV – the first non-automotive to own a team in F1. The bet has paid off, one would say. From their first GP win at the hands of Sebastian Vettel at the Chinese GP to winning the driver’s championship 5 times, Red Bull has come a long way. One might as well count that as 6 championships as Max Verstappen dominates the grid at the end of 16 of 22 races.

All this was a part of the Red Bull blueprint of extreme sports marketing. With the most intense athletes under their name Chaleo Yoovidhya, the Thai businessman who co-founded the energy drink brand is the grand mastermind behind the inescapable two bulls. The $5 million worth tycoon brought many athletes under his wing- all linked to the renowned party atmosphere of the team and coincidently, the brand. 

Another such endeavor was when they funded a private halfpipe for Shaun White to prepare for the Winter Olympics. White was the defending gold medalist heading into the 2010 Winter Olympics.

RB gave him a private, state-of-the-art training ground in Colorado. The move worked out for both. RB’s marketing caught eyes as they released unseen footage just prior to the Olympics; White won the gold medal.

Read More: “2nd Best Olympic Moment in History”: Snowboarding Legend Shaun White Left Fans Emotional With an Iconic Moment From Pyeongchang Olympics

F1 and snowboarding aren’t the only sport RB has invested in and reaped dividends from. Adventure sports like BMX, motocross, and BASE jumping are other sports Red Bull has earned their name in.

Red Bull Group ventures into soccer

The RB Group has ventured into soccer and created a model that has turned heads around the world. Their model is now known as the “RB model” and is being replicated all around.

RB owns 7 soccer clubs around the world. These include RB Leipzig (Germany), Red Bull Salzburg and FC Liefering (Austria), NY Red Bulls (USA), Red Bull Bragantino and Red Bull Brasil (Brazil), Red Bull Ghana (Ghana).

The model provides RB with an incomparable pool of talent from different countries and continents. It then develops those young talents into professional footballers in their home environment, protecting them from cultural shock while providing state-of-the-art facilities.

The model has worked fantastically for the Group and is being replicated by other teams such as Manchester City and Juventus.

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RB cracked the code when they entered adventure sports for their marketing prospects. They did it again with F1 and soccer (and other sports too). Their growth is truly exceptional and commendable.