29/06/2023
NEWS STORY
Helmut Marko has revealed that AlphaTauri is to undergo a name change in 2024, as the Faenza-based outfit also gets a new management team.
When Red Bull bought the Minardi team in late 2005, the Faenza outfit was officially named Squadra Toro Rosso, before it was realised that this was more appropriate for a football team and so the name was changed to Scuderia Toro Rosso. For 2020 the team was rebranded as Scuderia AlphaTauri in a bid to promote Red Bull's fashion label of the same name.
Following the death of Dietrich Mateschitz last year, there was much speculation over the future of the team, with Helmut Marko suggesting that the clock was ticking.
However, it was subsequently confirmed that the team would continue to be owned by Red Bull, and in addition to maintaining its role as a 'proving ground' for the Austrian outfit, would, with an eye on the budget cap, enjoy closer synergies with its 'big sister'.
New management was also announced for 2024, with Franz Tost leaving and being replaced by Ferrari's Laurent Mekies as team principal, and former FIA executive Peter Bayer joining as CEO.
"AlphaTauri will have two new leaders in 2024, Laurent Mekies and Peter Bayer," Marko tells Austria's Kleine Zeitung. "There will be new sponsors and a new name.
"The direction is clear," he adds, "to follow Red Bull Racing as far as the regulations allow. In-house designs are the wrong way to go."
In terms of the driver line-up, the ever-improving Yuki Tsunoda is likely to be retained, while it looks as though he may have Daniel Ricciardo as a teammate.
"Basically, Yuki is having a very good season with unfortunate results and penalties, but the performance is right," said Marko. "With Nyck de Vries, however, we are not satisfied, we are looking at that as well."
The Faenza-based team is currently tenth in the team standings, having slipped to ninth in 2022.
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