“It’s better if I shut my mouth,” Franz Tost talks about his departure from AlphaTauri after 18 years

AlphaTauri F1 team boss Franz Tost shares further details about his departure from the team at the end of the year.

“It’s better if I shut my mouth,” Franz Tost talks about his departure from AlphaTauri after 18 years

Franz Tost

Franz Tost has been a revolutionary figure and is responsible for the success that AlphaTauri has achieved till date. The Austrian became the team boss of the outfit back in 2005 when it was known as Scuderia Torro Rosso. Later in 2020, the team rebranded to AlphaTauri. Tost has been with the team all throughout their bad times and also their good times.

Unfortunately, the 2023 season will be his last with the team. Red Bull needed a secondary team to train the drivers of the future while also assisting the main team with development. AlphaTauri (formerly Torro Rosso) came to be known as the team who gave youngsters a chance to shine. This was all under the assistance and guidance of Helmut Marko and AlphaTauri team boss Franz Tost.

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Franz Tost stated that the decision to leave AlphaTauri was his own. However, he had previously given indications to the media that he was considering retirement. The Austrian had made a considerable effort in building the team from head to toe and giving a chance to future starts of the sport. One prime example would be Max Verstappen who started his F1 career with AlphaTauri (formerly Torro Rosso).

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Franz Tost reveals his future plans with AlphaTauri

Franz Tost
Franz Tost

In an interview with GPblog, here is what the AlphaTauri team principal had to say. “Yeah, but I can tell you now I’m not the guy to look behind the shoulders of what Peter and Laurent will do. They are really very good, and they know what to do. I will be there at the beginning when they are coming, one month or so, but then 100 per cent I will step back,” he said.

“I am not the person to advise someone or tell someone what to do. They know it. It’s also important, this is also a personal desire and wish from my side. The team has to step up, come to another level. I have been there for 18 years, and it’s good,” he continued. “Formula 1 is developing very fast, they have maybe different points of view, and they should do it. I am convinced they can do it much better than myself, therefore it’s better if I shut my mouth,” he concluded.

There have been speculations that Helmut Marko is also considering retirement. Various critics have speculated that Franz Tost would be the obvious successor to Helmut’s job. However, nothing has been confirmed as of yet. Even Sebastian Vettel has been one of the poised replacements for the 80 year old Austrian. What is clear right now is the fact that Tost will be replaced by Ferrari engineer Laurent Mekies.


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