Red Bull boss no longer speaks to daredevil skydiver Felix Baumgartner ‘because he didn’t mention the energy drink moments before he jumped to Earth’
The adrenaline junkie claims he ignored orders to state 'this is the world of Red Bull' before he plummeted to Earth
DAREDEVIL skydiver Felix Baumgartner has been accused of cheating his Red Bull sponsors after he failed to mention the energy drink just before he jumped to Earth.
Baumgartner was told by Red Bull boss Dietrich Mateschitz, worth an estimated £11.1 billion, to mention the drink when the eyes of the world were watching.
He was supposed to say "this is the world of Red Bull", but instead declared "I am going home now", Austrian media reported.
He became a household name around the world thanks to the project in which he jumped to Earth from a helium balloon in 2012.
He set world records for skydiving an estimated 24 miles and reaching an estimated top speed of Mach 1.25 (843.6mph), becoming the first person ever to break the sound barrier without vehicular power.
But the loss of the marketing opportunity apparently left the Red Bull boss furious, and it is claimed he has not said a word to his most famous stuntman ever since.
Mateschitz was a former toothpaste salesman who realised that the energy drink that would become Red Bull was widely popular in Asia, but virtually unknown in the West.
He then gave up his job and spent a year preparing a marketing strategy that involved using events to promote the drink, making it a worldwide bestseller.
Since then the company has expanded its portfolio and not only sponsors all kinds of extreme sports, but also owns different football clubs in Salzburg, Leipzig and New York.
Currently, Red Bull is perhaps best known for its Formula One racing team, which won the 2010 Formula One World Constructors' Championship and Drivers' Championship with Sebastian Vettel.
They then went on to win both titles for the next three years running in 2011, 2012 and 2013, making Vettel and Red Bull Racing four-time world champions.
The Sun Online has requested comment from Red Bull.
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