Helmut Marko and the Red Bull F1 team have played down the speculation regarding sale or movement of AlphaTauri.
During the course of the F1 2023 Bahrain pre-season test, German publication Auto Motor und Sport did a story regarding a potential sale of AlphaTauri or if not, then them re-locating base to the United Kingdom so as to cover the costs of running the team.
After the team finished ninth in the 2022 F1 season – despite the budget cap in place – it was not a desirable result which brought in less income to the team. After the death of Dietrich Mateschitz, Red Bull Sport has a new management in place with new ideas.
For them, if AlphaTauri doesn’t bring in a desirable result, they could put on the axe on it. As such, there have been reports of closure of several AlphaTauri – the fashion brand – shops. With Red Bull winning the title, it puts extra pressure on the sister concern.
The team does utilise the Red Bull Technology but hasn’t been able to crack the new regulations as yet. But both Marko and the senior F1 team has so far put down the rumours. The Austrian though wasn’t too clear about it, leaving it more on 50-50 scene.
“In general, we don’t comment on rumours,” Marko said on Sky Deutschland. “It’s understandable that AlphaTauri can’t be satisfied with what it achieved last year – ninth place in the Constructors’ Championship.
“But such a decision is entirely up to the shareholders – these are rumours that we do not comment on in detail. You think about how you can increase efficiency. If you have a team that wins the World Championship and the other one is only around ninth place, the synergies don’t seem to work properly.
“The overall result is not satisfactory. As proper business people, our shareholders will make the right decision. It is part of our philosophy. Vettel and Verstappen all came to us through AlphaTauri, but if the team doesn’t perform properly, it doesn’t help,” summed up Marko.
The German report pinned the potential buyers as Andretti, HitechGP and Mumbai Falcons, should AlphaTauri be put on sale. The American racing team has been making noise for a while, with the British feeder team also knocking on the doors.
Having parted ways with Dimtry Mazepin, HitechGP has been eyeing a F1 spot in the background, while Mumbai Falcons is a new name on the front. Coming from the X1 Racing League, the Indian team has been racing in the Middle Eastern and Asian championships.
They have utilised the services of Prema in their run and have won teams’/drivers’ title too. They are also involved in building a new race track in Pune as they look to expand its horizon. The Red Bull F1 team, meanwhile, states there is no plans to change.
“[There are] no plans to change the current set-up,” a Red Bull spokesperson told Sky Sports News. “Red Bull Technology supply components to AlphaTauri and Red Bull Powertrains work with and alongside their team.”
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