THE LONG ROAD TO REDEMPTION
These are unusual times in Faenza. Scuderia AlphaTauri, as we must now call the artist formerly known as Toro Rosso, is undergoing rather more than a cosmetic rebranding. Its role in the bigger geopolitical battles of F1 is shifting; sight of its core purpose has become obscured, and yet it remains the brave little team that can. Whatever the machinations behind the scenes, last year it managed its highest-ever points tally and equalled its best-ever finish in the constructors’ championship. It takes the notion that Formula 1 thrives on stability, and throws it into the proverbial cocked hat. And in the middle of the maelstrom – calm or otherwise – are Daniil Kvyat and Pierre Gasly. Aged 25 and 24 respectively, they have more baggage than they deserve for their tender years but are also in possession of a rare opportunity to divest themselves and progress unencumbered.
When Red Bull bought Minardi at the end of 2005, the benefits of owning a second team were manifold: it gave the carbonated beverages men a heavier political hammer among F1’s stakeholders at a time when the paddock was a much less consensual place than
