The forthcoming Austin Grand Prix has the Formula 1 community buzzing with rumours that the AlphaTauri team, a strong contender in the sport's midfield, may undergo a radical makeover. AlphaTauri's new chief executive officer, Peter Bayer, has announced that the Italian F1 team has decided on a fresh "identity" for the 2024 season. Tost, the team's longtime Team Principal, is leaving to take on a consultancy job in 2024, and Laurent Mekies, the current Ferrari Assistant Team Principal and Race Director, will take over in the following season.
AlphaTauri's name was rumoured to be changing for the 2024 season, with high-end clothing manufacturer Hugo Boss being floated around as an alternative title sponsor. As things stand currently, though, sporting goods major Adidas has emerged as the frontrunner for the new title sponsor role, with Hugo Boss set to play some role in the transition.
F1: What did AlphaTauri CEO Peter Bayer Say?
New CEO Peter Bayer said, "Discussions are going very well, unfortunately, I cannot disclose yet what the name will be,” said Bayer. “The shareholders have decided on the identity of the team, we will move a bit closer to the Red Bull family. It’s an exciting period to see the birth of a Formula 1 team, it’s a unique experience, I’m very happy to live through that.”
Tost, who has been with the team longer than Bayer, also asked as to what Bayer had picked up during his time there. In response, he said: “Franz is an incredible mentor, and he has so much experience that in any situation he will have advice and he was extremely supportive of me. I spent so much time with him that sometimes I said to him the other day ‘I hope I actually don’t annoy you because I’m spending all this time with you’, and he said ‘no, no, no I want you and the team to succeed, and I want to make sure that I pass everything on to you that I know’."
“I think Franz is a genius when it comes to drivers and understanding where they are mentally, and physically, and he keeps telling me that we have to make sure that the drivers are on top of their game when it comes to physical preparation," he added.
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F1: Red Bull and AlphaTauri to Work Closely in 2024
AlphaTauri has had trouble building on its early momentum as an upper-midfield team, especially after the new ground effect regulation, while the Red Bull Racing team continues its remarkable success and aims to secure both F1 championships. In this light, Red Bull has decided to encourage its sister team (AlphaTauri) to pool their resources to the fullest extent possible. While in the past this was common practice, the rules of Formula 1 now prevent AlphaTauri from using as many parts from its sister team.
Since AlphaTauri is based in Italy and Red Bull has a sizable campus in the UK, the question of where exactly these two companies should collaborate is also being rethought. As a result, a lot will change for AlphaTauri in the United Kingdom. AlphaTauri's aerodynamics team is currently located in Bicester, however, their lease on their current office space is about to expire. The move to Milton Keynes is scheduled for sometime in the middle of the next year. Everything to do with the design process, including the mechanical parts, will be housed there. This relocation is part of an effort to source as many components as feasible for the 2024 AlphaTauri from Red Bull, with the understanding that both production and the race team will continue to operate out of Faenza.
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