Red Bull admit they considered selling AlphaTauri as they provide new update

AlphaTauri has failed to deliver in 2023, scoring only 2 points in five races, while its sister team Red Bull has built up a runaway lead.

Dr Helmut Marko has rejected reports that Red Bull is gearing up to sell AlphaTauri amid a shake-up at the team and poor performances from its drivers.

The Austria advisor has admitted that there were internal discussions about the junior team’s future in the wake of the death of Red Bull’s founder Dietrich Mateschitz recently.

“We had internal considerations of what and how to do it,” Marko told RTL. 

“But we decided that Alpha Tauri will remain owned by Red Bull.”

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“For Mr Mateschitz, it was always a very important part of the racing philosophy – because a lot of young people came to us via AlphaTauri,” Marko said.  

However, the team will be brought more in line with its sister team in a bid to revive its chances on the grid.

“It will be closer to Red Bull Racing,” Marko added.

One of the steps being taken to address AlphaTauri’s on-track results is by reducing the divide between the two teams, as AlphaTauri is currently based in Faenza, Italy, while Red Bull’s home is in the UK.

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“Two new managing directors are coming – Peter Bayer and Laurent Mekies, from Ferrari,” Marko told NTV.

“We want to consistently see AlphaTauri as one of the leading midfield teams.”

AlphaTauri’s two points finishes came thanks to a 10th place finish by Yuki Tsunoda in Australia and Azerbaijan.

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The Japanese driver has been remarkably consistent in 2023, finishing 11th, 11th, 10th, 10th and 11th across the first five rounds.

Tsunoda’s teammate Nyck de Vries has, on the other hand, experienced a disappointing start to his first full season in Formula 1.

Despite his experience de Vries has finished 14th, 14th, DNF, DNF and 18th in the opening races of the season, putting his spot on the grid at risk.