Recent rumours around the FIA Formula 1 World Championship paddock were hinting that Red Bull’s new owners were looking at making a change to its portfolio, with Scuderia AlphaTauri either being sold or relocated to the United Kingdom.
Since the death of Team Founder Dietrich Mateschitz last season, the initial belief was that the new owners would continue to honour the late Austrian’s wishes and retaining its two Formula 1 teams, but recent rumours have indicated this may not be the case.
Those rumours have included the possibility that AlphaTauri, who will race with Yuki Tsunoda and Nyck de Vries during the 2023 season, could be sold, while another option would for it to leave its Italian base and relocate to the United Kingdom, closer to its sister Oracle Red Bull Racing team.
However, current AlphaTauri Team Principal Franz Tost has poured cold water onto this rumours, and after talks with Oliver Mintzlaff, the CEO of Corporate Projects and Investments of Red Bull GmbH, the future remains bright for the team in their current status.
And Tost insists the rumours surrounding the future of AlphaTauri are without foundation, and the team are focused on the 2023 season and improving on their ninth-place finish in the Constructors’ Championship from last year.
“I had some very good meetings with Oliver Mintzlaff, who confirmed that the shareholders will not sell Scuderia AlphaTauri, and that Red Bull will continue supporting the team in the future,” said Tost ahead of this weekend’s season opening Bahrain Grand Prix.
“All these rumours have no foundation, and the team has to remain focused for the start of the season to perform better than last year.”