20/04/2009
NEWS STORY
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Having scored its maiden Grand Prix win, a famous 1-2 to boot, members of the Red Bull team, including the Milton Keynes' outfit's 'advisor' Helmut Marko, looked forward to hearing the Austrian national anthem played during the podium ceremony for the first time since 1997, when Gerhard Berger won the German Grand Prix.
Imagine the surprise however, when instead of the Austrian anthem, 'Land der Berge, Land am Strome', Great Britain's 'God Save The Queen' blasted over the circuit's public address system.
Despite being based in Milton Keynes, the former Jaguar team, bought by Dietrich Mateschitz in November 2005, is Austrian and races under an Austrian licence, therefore 'Land der Berge, Land am Strome' should have been heard straight after 'Das Deutschlandlied' was played in honour of race winner Sebastian Vettel.
"I am disappointed because we have a Austrian license but no Austrian anthem was played," Marko told reporters later, admitting: "Probably the Chinese do not have it."
According to the FIA's own rule book:
"The national anthem of the winning driver and winning team will be played. The Nationalities of the teams and drivers will be notified to the organiser by the FIA and will accord with Article 112 of the Code."
"As far as the application of this Code is concerned, every competitor or driver who has obtained their licence from an ASN takes the nationality of that ASN for the period of validity of that licence."
Red Bull competes under a racing license issued by OAMTC (Osterreichischer Automobil, Motorrad und Touring Club), the Austrian motor racing authority.
The FIA has yet to comment on the 'mix up'.