F1: Ferrari's Mekies to Replace AlphaTauri Principal Franz Tost After 2023 Season

After the 2023 season, AlphaTauri has stated that Tost would stand down as team principal and be replaced by Mekies, who will rejoin the Italian F1 team. AlphaTauri, based in Italy and the United Kingdom, has hired Peter Bayer, a former executive director of the FIA, to serve as CEO when the current season concludes. After Red Bull GmbH finalized its purchase of the Minardi team at the end of 2005, it hired Tost to lead the team the following year. Both of the team's triumphs came at the Italian track of Monza when the Austrian was in charge of Scuderia Toro Rosso and AlphaTauri. Sebastian Vettel won the race in rainy conditions in 2008, and Pierre Gasly added another win to the record for the Faenza outfit in 2020. The reorganisation at AlphaTauri will continue later in the year when Bayer takes over as CEO and brings his wealth of knowledge to the table.

Also Read: F1: New Sprint Format with Second Qualifying Session Confirmed for 2023 Azerbaijan Grand Prix

Mekies' Role as AlphaTauri Team Principal

Mekies' promotion to Team Principal means that Ferrari's current Sporting Director will be returning to the organisation where he had his first significant achievements. He started off as a racing engineer and eventually rose to the position of chief engineer and then head of vehicle performance.

In the years after his first spell, he served as Safety Director and Deputy Race Director for the FIA for four years until joining Ferrari in 2018.

Mekies will oversee the Technical, Manufacturing, Support Function, and Race Team activities as Team Principal for the AlphaTauri organisation. Together, Bayer's strategic position and the new "equal responsibility" leadership team will bring about significant change.

Also Read: Petronas TVS Racing Announces One Make Championship Rider Lineup

“Firstly, I’d like to pay tribute to Franz for the great job he has done over almost two decades in charge at Faenza," said Mekies. "Scuderia AlphaTauri has all of the ingredients necessary for greater success in the future and in tandem with Peter I’m looking forward to making that happen,” he added.

The new CEO of AlphaTauri, Bayer, has nothing but praise for Tost, who has been there for a very long time and played an essential part in the careers of drivers like Sebastian Vettel, Max Verstappen, Daniel Ricciardo, Pierre Gasly, and Carlos Sainz.