AlphaTauri rejected a whopping $800 Million buyout offer: Reports

There has been recent speculation of Red Bull’s desire to sell the sister team, however, they look set on stay

AlphaTauri rejected a whopping $800 Million buyout offer: Reports

Alpha Tauri in 2023

Scuderia AlphaTauri, formerly known as Toro Rosso, is an Italian Formula One team that acts as a sister team and academy to Red Bull Racing. They serve as a driver academy for Red Bull. However, their recent years in Formula One have been poor ever since they rebranded from Toro Rosso to Alpha Tauri in support of Red Bull’s fashion brand.

Talk around the paddock recently regarding Alpha Tauri has been centered around a potential sale of the team, and their future in F1 has been in doubt due to their poor performances. However, the team has reportedly turned down offers as high as $800 Million, reaffirming their desire to stay at the pinnacle of motorsport. Recently, team principal Franz Tost explicitly stated that the team would continue in F1, continually supported by Red Bull. The team is also ‘restructuring’ its management. They have begun an expansion at their factory in Faenza, along with hiring assistant Ferrari team principal Laurent Mekies for their personnel. These recent actions indicate that Red Bull is committed to enhancing the performance of their secondary team rather than putting it up for sale.

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Alpha Tauri is home to Red Bull’s junior programme, which has produced world-class drivers in the past, who have gone on to become world champions. All these drivers drove for the sister team, which speaks of its ability to mould drivers into characters who can compete at the very top. The team is currently employing former F2 champion Yuki Tsunoda, and Formula E champion Nyck De Vries, who display great potential to one day drive for Red Bull and lead them to victory.

Related: Helmut Marko slams Fred Vasseur’s ‘excessively optimistic’ attitude amid the chaos at Ferrari

Alpha Tauri is striving to make improvements

Alpha Tauri via Autosport
Alpha Tauri via Autosport

AlphaTauri is an Italian-based Formula One racing team founded in 1985 as Minardi Team. In 2005, Red Bull purchased the team and renamed it Scuderia Toro Rosso, which became Red Bull’s secondary Formula One team. The team achieved its first podium finish in 2008 and secured its first-ever victory in the 2008 Italian Grand Prix.

Between 2008 and 2023, Toro Rosso’s team has been the launching pad for several esteemed drivers we recognize today, namely 4-time world champion Sebastian Vettel, 2-time world champion Max Verstappen, Carlos Sainz, and Daniel Ricciardo. In 2020, the team was renamed again to AlphaTauri after Red Bull’s fashion brand. The name change was accompanied by a new livery and branding, with the team’s colors changing from blue and red to white and navy blue. They took their only Grand Prix victory at Monza 2020, led by Pierre Gasly. With the team struggling to establish themselves as real competitors, it can be seen why rumors of a sale emerged. But their ongoing restructuring can be viewed as a statement of intent, insinuating their desire to improve and that they are not for sale in the foreseeable future.

The rumors of a buyout of that magnitude being turned down can come as a worry to Michael Andretti, who seeks to enter F1 in 2026 with Andretti Cadillac. However, the incumbent teams seeking to raise the entry costs to $600 Million are proving to be an obstacle for him. One of his most promising prospects was the acquisition of the Italian team. However, with this turn of events, it spells doubt for Andretti and his Formula One ambitions. Alpha Tauri can surely make a bigger impact on the sport as they have in the past, should their current restructuring bring its benefits.

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