Dr Helmut Marko has asserted that Red Bull is not looking to sell the AlphaTauri Formula 1 team going forward.
AlphaTauri, which up until 2020 operated under the Toro Rosso name, is Red Bull’s sister outfit on the grid and often provides debuts to drivers that are part of its driver academy.
Drivers such as Max Verstappen, Sebastian Vettel and Daniel Ricciardo all competed for the Faenza-based squad before moving to the front-running Red Bull team.
However, questions have been raised regarding the team’s future following the death of Red Bull co-founder and owner Dietrich Mateschitz last month.
Speaking to Auto Motor und Sport, Marko stated that there would be changes implemented across the Red Bull company – but asserted that the F1 division would not be impacted.
“Certainly a lot will change,” Marko said. “It was de facto autocracy, but Red Bull Racing is the group’s strongest and most efficient marketing tool.
“We have worked very independently in the past. We were the only ones who didn’t have to follow certain company rules.
“This autonomy existed with the consent of Mateschitz, but it has already leaked out that the new management wants to continue Formula activities. Like now, with a relatively strong independence.”
Red Bull’s new management structure has already taken shape following Mateschitz’s passing, with roles now divided out between Franz Watzlawick (CEO Beverage Business), Alexander Kirchmayr (CFO) and Oliver Mintzlaff (CEO Corporate Projects and Investments), the latter of whom will deal with the F1 side of the company.
But Marko says that AlphaTauri’s position in F1 is safe, and says there is a focus to create a more competitive environment amid a difficult 2022 campaign.
“The group is doing well. There is no need for a financial nature to sell the team. There is rather a need to bring the team back to a higher level in sporting terms.”
AlphaTauri will field rookie Nyck de Vries next year alongside Yuki Tsunoda, who enters his third year in F1.
