Red Bull shocked by factory break in
On the night from Friday to Saturday, burglars have stolen a large number of F1 trophies from Red Bull Racing. The break in caused significant damage as offenders drove a vehicle through the building's front entrance.
Team principal Christian Horner said the team's headquarters in Bradbourne Drive, Tilbrook, Milton Keynes, UK was broken into overnight.
“We are obviously devastated by this serious factory break in, which saw offenders drive a vehicle through our front entrance and steal more than 60 trophies which took years and hard work to accumulate", Horner said.
“The break-in caused significant damage and was very upsetting for our night officers who were on duty at the time. The offenders took items that not only did not belong to them, but which represented the efforts of a group of dedicated, hard-working individuals.
“Beyond the aggressive nature of this break-in, we are perplexed why anyone would take these trophies. 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.
“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."
Horner, the team and Thames Valley Policy are calling for witnesses to contact the policy.
"Police were called at 1.30am today (6/12) to the Red Bull Racing factory where a group of around six men, used a vehicle to drive through the front entrance to gain access to the premises", a policy statement reads.
"Once inside, they stole over 60 trophies belonging to the Red Bull Racing team. Night staff who were on the premises at the time were not physically harmed.
"Two cars were involved in the burglary. A silver 4x4 which was used to drive through the entrance and a further dark coloured, black or dark blue Mercedes estate car. Both are believed to have foreign number plates.
"There is no description of the offenders available at this time, although they are all believed to be men, wearing dark clothing."
If you have any information that may assist the investigation, please contact Milton Keynes Force CID on +44 1865 841148. If you don't want to speak directly to the police you can contact the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or online at www.crimestoppers-uk.org.
