adminRed Bull have lost a significant slice of their history after the audacious theft of more than 60 trophies from the Formula One team’s factory in southern England.
A silver 4X4 containing about half a dozen men was driven through the front entrance of the team’s factory in Milton Keynes early on Saturday morning, according to a statement by Thames Valley Police. A second vehicle, believed to be a Mercedes estate, was also involved in the burglary. Staff on duty at the premises were apparently unharmed.
Christian Horner, the Red Bull team principal, said the team was devastated by the crime and expressed bemusement that its perpetrators should have taken items of little worth beyond their sentimental value to the team.
“Beyond the aggressive nature of this break-in, we are perplexed why anyone would take these trophies,” said Horner. “The value to the team is, of course, extraordinarily high due to the sheer hard work and effort that went into winning each and every one. But their intrinsic value is low; they would be of little benefit to those outside of the team and, in addition to that, many of the trophies on display were replicas.”
Horner added that security arrangements at the factory would be reviewed in light of the robbery, indicating that opportunities for fans of Red Bull to visit the site could become more limited. “The actions of these men mean it’s likely that we will have to make our site less accessible in the future, which will be unfair on the hundreds of fans that travel to visit our factory each year to see our trophies and our Formula One car,” he said.
The Austrian team won four consecutive F1 constructors’ championships between 2010 and 2013, with Sebastian Vettel becoming a quadruple F1 world champion driver in the process. — Guardian
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