F1 team turns down £1.1bn bid amid concerns in the paddock about their current ownership

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The last time 100% of a Formula 1 team was purchased came back in 2020 for the sum of around £136.5 million.

Now, they’re valued at £981 million, making Dorilton Capital’s investment in Williams a very fruitful one after just five years.

The last sale of a Formula 1 team before that was Racing Point, who in the midst of financial trouble, were purchased for £90 million, plus some debt, by Lawrence Stroll.

The team, who are now known as Aston Martin, are valued at a whopping £1.6 billion just seven years after the deal was agreed in 2018.

Over the last decade, a massive influx of fans has helped to add value to the sport, and the teams are worth a lot more than they used to be because of it.

20% of the grid is made up of two teams that Red Bull owns, which has caused a bit of a stir at times, particularly when they can use the Visa Cash App Racing Bulls team to their advantage.

READ MORE: 2024 F1 team valuations as Ferrari dwarf rivals and Williams shoot up the leaderboard

Red Bull have rejected £1.1bn bid for Racing Bulls amid paddock concerns about ownership

Red Bull are eyeing an F1 team boss Zak Brown loves as a potential replacement for Christian Horner if he leaves the team.

Rumours are flying everywhere at this time of year, particularly with the Formula 1 driver market rife with speculation. Max Verstappen is a good example of that.

Just last year, Zak Brown complained about Red Bull having ownership of two teams, and doesn’t believe that it is fair.

Now, Joe Saward reports on JoeBlogsF1 that Red Bull actually rejected a £1.1 billion move for Racing Bulls.

Looking back at Brown’s comments from early last year, he told Sky Sports F1 that the landscape of the sport has changed, and that it’s no longer fair to own two teams.

“I’m speaking in the wider interest of the sport. If you look at every other major sport, you’re not allowed to own two teams.

“I’d even go further, and there’s A+B team relationships. When these started 15 years ago, it was because there was a huge gap between the top teams and the bottom teams.”

READ MORE: Max Verstappen could leave Red Bull for one ‘very simple’ reason after Austrian Grand Prix

When did Red Bull purchase the Visa Cash App Racing Bulls F1 team?

It’s fairly common knowledge that Red Bull found its way onto the Formula 1 grid in 2004 when it agreed a deal with Ford to buy the Jaguar team.

But how the Racing Bulls outfit fell into their hands is a bit different. Red Bull agreed to purchase the Minardi team from Paul Stoddart back in 2005, but the reported figures are vague. It could have been anywhere between £22 and £29 million.

The team were renamed Toro Rosso for 2006, and after an FIA rule change meant Red Bull couldn’t design a car for them anymore in 2010, they were put up for sale in 2008.

However, they weren’t sold, and after a few name changes (Alpha Tauri, now Racing Bulls), they remain under Red Bull’s ownership. One does wonder how long that will last.