RB Leipzig’s Oliver Mintzlaff Becomes CEO of Red Bull Racing After Dietrich Mateschitz’s Tragic Passing

RB Leipzig’s Oliver Mintzlaff Becomes CEO of Red Bull Racing After Dietrich Mateschitz’s Tragic Passing

Byron Pillay
updated at April 12, 2023 at 8:16 PM
  • Red Bull owner Dietrich Mateschitz passed away after a lengthy battle with cancer, leaving the company's sporting teams in disarray
  • RB Leipzig's Oliver Mintzlaff was wanted by Chelsea FC as the Blues were on the hunt for a Sporting Director
  • Mintzlaff will now head up Red Bull's sporting and media division which includes the Red Bull Racing Formula 1 team

RB Leipzig's uncertain future has been made a little clearer.

The Bundesliga side were unsure of what lay ahead for them after the death of founder, Dietrich Mateschitz.

RB Leipzig, Oliver Mintzlaff, CEO, Red Bull Racing, Dietrich Mateschitz, Tragic, Passing, Sport, World, Soccer, Formula 1
RB Leipzig’s managing director Oliver Mintzlaff has become the new CEO of Red Bull's sport and media division after the passing of owner, Dietrich Mateschitz. Image: TF-Images/ Mark Thompson
Source: Getty Images

Mateschitz died in October after a lengthy battle with cancer, plunging numerous sporting teams into disarray, The Guardian reported. Sporting teams owned by Red Bull, including the Formula 1 team and the Bundesliga side, were unsure about who would take over the reins and under which direction the company would now head. Red Bull, under Mateschitz, was very much focused on marketing through their sponsorship of sporting teams.

As reported by The Athletic, Managing Director of Leipzig Oliver Mintzlaff will relinquish his role at the football club to take up a post as one of the three new CEOs of Red Bull.

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At one stage, Mintzlaff was linked with a move to Chelsea as The Blues were on the hunt for a new Sporting Director. Mintzlaff will be the CEO of corporate projects and new investments.

As a result, he will oversee of the Red Bull group's sports and media businesses. Mintzlaff will now oversee the football teams in Austria, Germany, Brazil and America, as well as the Formula 1 team.

Mateschitz bought the Jaguar F1 team in 2004 and renamed it, Red Bull. He also bought Toro Rosso, which was seen as a junior team of Red Bull Racing. The team is now called Scuderia Alpha Tauri and is seen as Red Bull Racing's sister team.

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Byron Pillay
Byron Pillay is a sports writer and Head of the Department at Sports Brief (joined in 2022) with over 10 years of experience in community journalism and a degree in journalism from Caxton's Cadet School.
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