Following last Friday’s meeting of the Formula 1 Commission ahead of this weekend’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, several teams are believed to be unhappy with AlphaTauri closing their ties with Red Bull, both physically and politically.
It’s been reported by German publication Motorsport Magazin that the paddock is unhappy at AlphaTauri returning to being a Red Bull B-team, with the Faenza-based outfit set to take as many ‘Transferable Components (TRC)’ as possible in 2024.
In the last couple of years, AlphaTauri moved away from being Red Bull’s B-team and started to produce their own parts and follow their own design philosophies; however, this has been pinpointed as a main reason for their recent downfall in 2022 and the start of this season.
Until recently, AlphaTauri were last in the Constructors’ Championship but recent performances have seen them move up to eighth in the standings.
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The side are likely to be much more competitive next season, given that they’re set to receive Red Bull’s suspension, gearbox and rear crash structure.
These three parts are all TRCs, with new AlphaTauri CEO Peter Bayer having confirmed that the plan is to take as many parts from Red Bull as legally possible.
This will likely be watched very closely by F1 and the FIA, who already monitor Ferrari’s relationship with their customer team, Haas.
Whilst AlphaTauri’s 2024 design will be massively influenced by Red Bull, it’s no secret that the outfit are already taking and installing TRCs from the Milton Keynes-based outfit.
The paddock view this as the reason why AlphaTauri – who are completing a full rebrand over the winter break – have been significantly stronger since the United States Grand Prix.
It’s believed that some teams want to find a way to end sides working so closely for the 2026 power unit regulations and ban outfits sharing wind tunnels.
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As things stand, AlphaTauri and Red Bull both share a wind-tunnel facility in the UK.
Another concern amongst the paddock is that Red Bull team principal Christian Horner is reportedly having an increasingly large influence at the sister team and is making key decisions.
Ex-Ferrari race director Laurent Mekies will become AlphaTauri’s new team principal in 2024, with the Abu Dhabi GP to be the last for current boss Franz Tost.