According to AlphaTauri CEO Peter Bayer, the team is set to reveal their new name for the 2024 Formula 1 season and beyond in a few weeks as a full rebrand is in the works.
The AlphaTauri Formula 1 team has wrapped up its preparations to transition to an entirely new brand as their new name will officially include the identities of two sponsors.
The outfit which was formerly known as Toro Rosso rebranded in 2020 to honor AlphaTauri, a clothing brand owned by Red Bull. However, since the deal is about to expire, the organization has been seeking a new name in preparation for a full relaunch next season.
They have, however, regressed since the 2022 regulation change and as long as the team will continue to field Yuki Tsunoda and Daniel Ricciardo in 2024, they plan to reestablish a closer relationship with their sister team Red Bull Racing.
The team would like to go back to having a generic name similar to Toro Rosso, instead of being committed to the branding of a sponsor as is the case now. “Racing Bulls” is one option that was recently rumored to be the new identity.
Plans on how to include the identities of two new US-based sponsors to the official team title and when to unveil the new look were finalized by team CEO Peter Bayer and his colleagues from Faenza during the Las Vegas Grand Prix weekend.
“The identity will be generic,” Bayer told Motorsport.com. “The identity is what Toro Rosso would have been, and it’s moving closer to the Red Bull family again.
“But then it will appear with the naming rights partners. We will change the company name, we will change identity, logo, everything, a complete relaunch, complete rebrand.
“The name of the team, the identity, has been decided by the shareholders and I need to carry it with me without being able to share, which is very difficult!
“The identity is what Toro Rosso would have been, and it will be closer to the Red Bull family again.”
While the FIA releases their official entry list in December, Bayer has hinted that the team will receive support from major American sponsors, largely because of Ricciardo.
The Australian has made the United States his second home, and he made his comeback to the Circuit of Americas in October 2023 following a hand injury he suffered during the F1 return from summer break.
“We’re on a good trajectory and because we have such good traction in the US at the moment, we found these two companies who like each other,” Bayer said.
“We had a very, very good meeting with these two big new partners. And they understood each other really well. They sort of mingled immediately.
“We talked about when do we announce it? What do we do? And we said look, this is what usually happens, and we have the FIA entry form and we have the livery presentation. And then they had ideas.
“They started brainstorming so much that I got scared, actually! They have a couple of very big ideas.
“They’re thinking big, bigger than we would probably have dared to think.”
Alfa Romeo is ready to announce new identity for 2024
Additionally, Sauber will have an all-new identity in 2024 as the Alfa Romeo brand leaves for Haas and Audi will not be joining the Swiss team until 2026.
Even so, it’s anticipated that Sauber-Stake will take an entirely new form, with the online gambling platform website expected to stick with the team.
When questioned about the timing of the announcement, team principal Alessandro Alunni Bravi stated that everything is already set for the official release.
“Five minutes after the FIA publishes the entry list! All our statements were ready from November 2,” team principal Alessandro Alunni Bravi responded when asked when confirmation would be expected.
“Of course, we don’t want to anticipate anything, but we are ready to announce the team name and the chassis name.
“We have existing partners of course, and we try to also expand with our partners the perimeter of the sponsorship deals.
“I think that we found a good way to do this, but there will be not just one title partner next year.
“I think there will be surprises, especially for the chassis name.”