60 trophies stolen in Red Bull factory raid

Sixty trophies were stolen from Red Bull Racing's factory in Milton Keynes in the early hours of Saturday morning, the team has confirmed.

A silver 4wd vehicle was driven through the front entrance and six men loaded the trophies into another dark coloured Mercedes before making their escape. Security staff who were on duty at the time were not hurt.

“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,” said Christian Horner. “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.

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

Christian Horner

“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. We would like to appeal to anyone who knows any information on the whereabouts of these trophies or the offenders involved to contact Thames Valley Police.”

Police statement

A Thames Valley Police statement said: “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.

“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.”