AlphaTauri to be rebranded in F1 2024, says Marko

AlphaTauri is in-line for a management restructure as long-serving team boss Franz Tost will step aside at the end of the campaign to be replaced by respected Ferrari racing director Laurent Mekies.

Marko has now said that this extensive overhaul will extend to the AlphaTauri name. Speaking to Austria’s Kleine Zeitung, the 80-year-old explained: “AlphaTauri will have two new leaders in Laurent Mekies and Peter Bayer [the outgoing FIA general secretary] from 2024.

“There will be new sponsors and also a new name. The orientation is clear: based on Red Bull Racing, as far as the regulations allow. Do-it-yourself constructions are the wrong way.”

The future of the Faenza team was the subject of considerable speculation at the start of the year.

This followed the late-2022 death of Red Bull co-founder Dietrich Mateschitz and the installation of a new company leadership structure while AlphaTauri struggled with its adaption to the ground-effect rules.

Last month, however, Red Bull motorsport advisor Marko confirmed that a decision had been made to retain AlphaTauri - which sits bottom of the constructors' standings - but that the main hub of the operation would move to the UK.

This will allow the team to build around its aerodynamics outpost at Bicester and allow for greater collaboration with reigning constructors’ champion Red Bull to improve form and save money.

Helmut Marko, Consultant, Red Bull Racing

Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images

Marko said of the grand prix team that won the 2008 and 2020 Italian Grands Prix: "The decision has been made. AlphaTauri will remain fully owned by Red Bull and will continue to be run as a junior team.

"The cooperation with Red Bull Racing will be closer, also in terms of cost cap and synergies."

AlphaTauri formerly ran under the Toro Rosso moniker between 2006 and 2019. Its rebrand was seen as a way to boost the awareness of Red Bull's fashion division AlphaTauri.

But questions were raised internally by new Red Bull CEO Oliver Mintzlaff about the limited impact that the F1 operation has had in increasing brand exposure.

Ahead of a rename, there remains uncertainty surrounding the immediate future of the driver line-up. Full-time F1 rookie Nyck de Vries is under pressure to keep his seat heading into the European leg of the calendar after a string of crashes.

The Formula E and FIA F2 champion has finished behind team-mate Yuki Tsunoda in six of the eight GPs held so far this season.