AlphaTauri F1 Team under scrutiny by Red Bull management as they consider ‘sale or relocation’ – Reports

Red Bull management are reportedly considering selling or relocating AlphaTauri to England (due to the current operational model being 'inefficient').

AlphaTauri F1 Team under scrutiny by Red Bull management as they consider ‘sale or relocation’ – Reports

Scuderia AlphaTauri F1 Team

Last season, AlphaTauri finished P9 in the Constructors’ championship, 2 points behind Haas. This was their worst finish since 2018 (also P9) back when they were known as Toro Rosso. 2021, the last season before the regulation changes, had been very good for them, with 142 points and a P6 finish. But in 2022, nothing seemed to go their way. Especially when compared to their sister team, Red Bull – who won their first Constructors’ championship since 2013.

So, things are definitely not great for them right now. To pile on the misery, now there’s apparently a threat of the team being sold. According to Auto Motor und Sport, AlphaTauri are ‘under observation’. Currently, they cost the organization more money than the main team does – who obviously bring in a lot more money as well. In fact, the parent company ‘potentially’ only has to contribute about 10% of the racing team’s total costs – and they are targeting becoming fully self-sufficient.

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AlphaTauri, on the other hand, are not nearly as lucrative a sponsorship opportunity, and not as profitable either. Apparently, they still have to ‘close the gap’ to the budget cap i.e. their funding doesn’t allow them to reach the budget cap. But the Red Bull management appears to believe that the ‘junior’ team does not offer a lot of value in its current state. So, the two options understood to be on the table are – Relocation or a sale.

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Read More: Max Verstappen believes that Nyck De Vries is ‘exactly what AlphaTauri needs’ right now

Andretti one of the candidates to acquire the AlphaTauri F1 Team

Scuderia AlphaTauri
Scuderia AlphaTauri

The current operating model of AlphaTauri is proving to be rather inefficient. The team (since the Minardi days) have been based in Faenza, Italy. But their aerodynamic department is in Bicester and they utilize the Red Bull wind tunnel in Bedford – both places are in England. The engine, of course, is a Honda-RBPT collaboration. So a relocation could help cut down the costs. Another problem is that ‘several branches’ of AlphaTauri are also set to close.

But the management are not ruling out a sale. According to AMuS, three parties are interested in acquiring AlphaTauri – Andretti, Hitech, and Mumbai Falcons. Andretti have been, rather loudly, trying to enter the grid as an 11th team. They had tried to buy Haas and Sauber earlier, but neither deal worked out. If the 11th-team conquest does not work out for them, they could potentially get on the grid through AlphaTauri. Apparently, the current favorites to take over AlphaTauri are Hitech.

For any potential party interested in getting into F1, buying an existing team is definitely going to be easier than entering a separate team. There are rumors that F1 teams want to bump up the ‘entry fee’ meant to cover the revenue dilution. Currently, the figure set in the Concorde Agreement is $200M, but this could potentially increase to $600-$700 million.

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