Red Bull Motorsport Advisor Helmut Marko has revealed that the AlphaTauri team could be the subject of a name change in the near future.
Having already purchased the Ford-owned Jaguar outfit and rebranded it as Red Bull in 2005, the late Dietrich Mateschitz proceeded to buy the flailing Minardi team only one year later.
Handed the name Toro Rosso, the team remained in its Faenza base in Italy and has continuously been utilised as a nurturing ground for Red Bull’s young drivers.
The likes of multiple-time F1 champions Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen both developed at Toro Rosso before making the leap to the senior team and rising to prominence by winning races and titles.
The Italian squad remained in its formative guise up until 2021 when it was rebranded as AlphaTauri to reflect and promote Red Bull’s clothing brand.
However, Marko has said that the Red Bull group is discussing potentially changing the name of its sister team once again.
“It is something we are reconsidering,” he told RacingNews365.
“It is logical too. The branding of AlphaTauri has been scaled back somewhat because only in a few countries where we race AlphaTauri is actually sold. It is about three to four countries only.
“The task is simple. More money must be brought in and results improved.”
Marko and AlphaTauri team principal Franz Tost both moved to dismiss rumours earlier in the year that the Faenza team could be forced to relocate to England or face being sold.
German outlet AMuS reported ahead of the season that the passing of Mateschitz late in 2022 could contribute to Red Bull looking to part ways with its second-string operation.
While he avoided speculation that the team could be sold, Marko did insist that AlphaTauri would be required to produce an improved performance in 2023 to ensure it is more financially sustainable for Red Bull to maintain.
The Italian side slipped to ninth in the Constructors’ Championship last season, scoring only 35 points across the 22 rounds to take place.
AlphaTauri’s alarming regression down the order disrupted the upward path the team had been on since its rebrand and arrived after it had recorded its best-ever season in the sport.
With Pierre Gasly leading the charge, AlphaTauri matched its previous-best finish of sixth in the standings and accumulated a record total of 142 points.
Matters have failed to improve on the track in the infant stages of the latest campaign, however, with AlphaTauri being only one of two teams yet to register a single point, despite Yuki Tsunoda narrowly missing out in 11th place in both races.
The Japanese driver and Tost have underlined updates to the AT03 will be arriving at the next race in Australia as it aims to haul itself back into the midfield.
But Tost sensationally stated he no longer trusts the opinions of his engineers after AlphaTauri’s launch package failed to prop the team up the pecking order.
