AlphaTauri is set to undergo a major rebrand for the 2024 season as a result of the team’s management restructure, according to Red Bull boss Helmut Marko.
According to Helmut Marko, AlphaTauri will adopt Red Bull Racing’s strategy to the extent that the regulations allow in 2024.
Red Bull is now attempting to reverse the constructor’s downward track by stepping in and providing them with more parts going forward. The constructor has suffered with performance concerns and inconsistent performance over the past couple of seasons.
This would be a major shift in their working relationship and perhaps signal an eventual return to the original relationship between Red Bull and Toro Rosso, when the former closely collaborated with their sister team on engineering and mechanics.
Longtime AlphaTauri team principal Franz Tost will retire from Formula 1 at the end of the season, handing over control of the Faenza-based team to Laurent Mekies, who is currently Ferrari’s sporting director. Additionally, Peter Bayer, a former FIA executive will join the team as its new CEO.
The sister Red Bull outfit formerly known as Toro Rosso changed its name to AlphaTauri in 2020 as a part of the marketing campaign for the clothing line of the same name.
“AlphaTauri will have two new leaders in 2024, Laurent Mekies and Peter Bayer,” Marko told Kleine Zeitung.
“There will be new sponsors and a new name. The direction is clear: to follow Red Bull Racing as far as the regulations allow. In-house designs are the wrong way to go.”
The Italian team will rely on Red Bull Racing in order to utilise as many transferable parts as the technical regulations permit.
The whole drivetrain of the car will fall under this category, including the front and rear suspensions, hydraulic systems, and the gearbox, which AlphaTauri already sources from RBR.
In spite of the fact that AlphaTauri are currently operating independently, their decline in the rankings stands in sharp contrast to the years they spent competing with the best in the middle of the pack.
Marko has openly expressed his discontent with their challenges and said that significant adjustments will be done in all areas, which is not surprising. The specifics of further changes at AlphaTauri are unknown, but based on this year’s performance, it’s possible that the driver lineup will change.
When asked if Yuki Tsunoda and Nyck de Vries were on the team’s roster for the upcoming season, Marko was cryptic.
“Basically, Yuki is having a very good season with unfortunate results and penalties, but the performance is right,” he added. “With Nyck de Vries, however, we are not satisfied, we are looking at that as well.”
In their brief history, AlphaTauri has only managed one victory, which Pierre Gasly secured at the Italian Grand Prix in 2020. AlphaTauri is currently last in the constructors’ championship this year.
