Amid the cowboy buzz of the Circuit of the Americas paddock hung a dark cloud at this year’s U.S. Grand Prix.
The atmosphere was tense as the cost cap breach saga dragged on, overshadowing Max Verstappen’s second straight world title that he won in Japan two weeks before. And while conversations are ongoing between Red Bull and the FIA about a possible settlement agreement, it hasn’t stopped rivals from voicing their opinions on the matter.
But, things took a turn within the Red Bull camp Saturday before qualifying. News broke that Red Bull cofounder and owner Dietrich Mateschitz died at 78 years old. The Austrian businessman led the energy drink company into motorsports in the mid-1990s, and by 2005, he owned two Formula One teams—Red Bull Racing and what’s now known as AlphaTauri.
