Red Bull Hope to Make Up for Lost Time

Red Bull Racing believe they can make up for lost time and give Formula One rivals Sauber and Toyota a run for their money next year.

"My big goal is to get us back on the track of building the company. I'd like to think we're still in the fight there with Toyota and Sauber," managing director David Pitchforth told reporters on Monday.

Austrian billionaire Dietrich Mateschitz bought the Jaguar team from Ford last month and renamed it after his energy drink brand.

Pitchforth said the team had lost some development time due to the uncertainty over whether Jaguar, who finished last season in seventh place ahead of Toyota but behind Sauber, would find a buyer or not.

"The biggest thing that has affected the team has been the ability to hire the type of people we want in certain key roles," he said.

Ford's commitment to the team had been in doubt for some considerable time before their decision to sell, making it hard to recruit staff.

"I want to build the team as far as getting those key positions filled," said Pitchforth.

He said recruiting an experienced driver such as Briton David Coulthard would help to bring in the kind of people needed.

"The choice of an experienced driver has more effect on the people I'm trying to hire than the people I've already got working for me," he said. "The people I've already got can see what we have within the team, they can see we're moving the team forward and other things that external people can't see."

Jaguar operated on a tight budget and Pitchforth said that while funding was assured, Red Bull would not be throwing money at the team.

"We've done a budget which is basically similar to previous ones because I want to make sure we build properly," he said. "I don't want anyone to think we're flush with money.

"But Red Bull are committed to doing a good job in Formula One and building the team year on year and eventually being in there to contend for race wins, so we're going to have to increase the budget in some areas and in others see what happens to the sport."

Pitchforth also ruled out doing a cash for points deal with a driver such as Coulthard, who had reportedly offered to race for Williams on that basis.

"I don't agree with that kind of deal," he said. "To get the best out of anybody you need to be motivated to do your job...there's some basics there, respect and remuneration and everything else."

"I don't expect anybody who works for me to do it for nothing. That's no different in a driver."