Red Bull has won the Formula One constructors’ championship for the first time since 2013, ending Mercedes’ run of eight straight titles.
The championship was secured at the U.S. Grand Prix, with three races to spare, a day after company founder and team owner Dietrich Mateschitz died aged 78.
Max Verstappen, who won the drivers’ title two weeks ago at the Japanese Grand Prix, clinched it in style, winning for the 13th time this season.
“Max Verstappen, you are world champion, we are world champions!” team boss Christian Horner said over the radio after the race, adapting the call he has made famous over the years.
“Dietrich Mateschitz, thank you for all you have done.”
Horner later said the nature of Verstappen’s win, which saw him recover from a slow pit-stop and pass Lewis Hamilton in the closing stages, was the perfect way to claim the title.
“It was almost as if it had been scripted for him to have to come back through the field,” Horner said. “I think Dietrich would have quite enjoyed that race, from above, to see us overtake a Mercedes with five, six laps to go to win the constructors championship.
“I think he would have been very proud about that race today.”
The championship win marks the end of the Mercedes era of dominance, which dates back to 2014, when F1 switched to turbo-hybrid engines. Red Bull was unable to beat Mercedes to the constructors’ championship last year despite Verstappen claiming the drivers’ title.
Although the drivers’ title is the more famous of the two, F1’s prize money is handed out based on the finishing position in the constructors’ championship.
Red Bull won its four previous championships in consecutive years, from 2010 to 2013.
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at www.espn.com – RPM…