Red Bull to take over Toro Rosso

Vettel (front) and Webber will be Red Bull team-mates in 2009

Formula One team Red Bull are set to regain 100% control of sister outfit Toro Rosso after buying out the 50% share owned by Gerhard Berger.

The deal is pending approval by regulatory authorities.

If it goes through, Red Bull chief Dietrich Mateschitz will wholly owns two teams on the F1 grid.

Toro Rosso have been seen as a development team but, running with Ferrari engines, they outperformed Red Bull in the 2008 season.

Sebastien Vettel won the Italian Grand Prix in September and has moved from Toro Rosso to Red Bull for 2009.

The German became the youngest winner in Formula One history at the age of 21.

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"I am very happy that I can support Didi (Mateschitz) - who has committed himself to Formula One with so much dedication - with the reorganisation of the team and in this process to make use of my knowledge so effectively," said Berger.

"A 100% financing of a joint project by one partner can only make sense, to my mind, at an initial stage. This stage is over now. That's why Red Bull will take over the shares again."

Mateschitz added: "I'm very grateful to Gerhard for his enormous input.

"Together we have made Toro Rosso a team which, from 2008 onwards, will regularly qualify for the top 10 and collect championship points.

"Red Bull will now run Toro Rosso alone on this basis."

Red Bull suffered a blow last week when Australian driver Mark Webber broke his leg in a bike crash but the team expect him to be fit to start the 2009 season.

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