By Jamie Makin
February 10 2006

In its short life, Scuderia Toro Rosso has already sprung a few surprises on us and today they had another one that nobody saw coming. Effective immediately, former grand prix driver, Gerhard Berger, has purchased a 50% share in STR. In exchange, Red Bull has bought a 50% share in Berger's shipping company. The deal will be mutually beneficial as RBR and STR will be able to take advantage Berger's company for transporting their teams' freight worldwide, while Berger will bring his many years of knowledge and expertise to two growing teams.

Berger has been involved in the sport since his debut in his native Austria for the ATS team in 1984. His racing career continued through 1997 and in that time he also drove for Arrows, Benetton, Ferrari and McLaren, capturing ten wins along the way. He became BMW's motorsport director after retiring from competition and in 2000 he facilitated their return to the sport with Williams. He called it quits last year but recently has been vocal about his desire to return to the sport with his own team.

Berger is clearly excited about his new venture. "Three birds with one stone! The involvement of a company like Red Bull is an important milestone for the Berger shipping company and for its successful future development," explained Berger. "On the other hand, I am aware that my Formula 1 know-how is very much valued by Red Bull in general and by the Italian Toro Rosso team in particular. Last but not least I'm looking forward to not only continuing to have a great time with Dietrich Mateschitz, but also to being able to implement serious and visionary business developments together in the future."

Mateschitz is equally thrilled to have Berger partner his team. "I have known and admired Gerhard for twenty years," Mateschitz remarked. "18 years ago, he was the first top athlete to drink Red Bull and therefore to make a significant contribution to our growth and to the brand in Austria. I am particularly pleased that we will now be able to take advantage of the synergies that undoubtedly exist between us also for joint business activities."

Berger also has an established relationship with STR Team Principal, Franz Tost. "I am really looking forward to working with Gerhard again," said Tost. "We worked closely and successfully together at BMW and I am sure that Gerhard's experience and connections can help push the team forward to achieve a higher standard."

Berger will meet up with the team at the shakedown of the new STR01 today in Jerez.