01 TO SELL OR NOT TO SELL
AlphaTauri rumours reveal Red Bull discontent
02 QUALIFIED SUCCESS
Mixed response to format change
03 McLAREN-FORD?
ALPHATAURI: GO HARD OR GO HOME
01 The AlphaTauri Formula 1 team has responded to speculation that it may be sold. These claims appeared in the German press ahead of the start of the new season, but have now been formally debunked – albeit in a way which revealed disquiet behind the scenes.
The original report in the respected Auto Motor und Sport asserted that Red Bull’s management was considering selling the team or moving it to England in order to improve synergies between Red Bull Racing and its sister team, given AlphaTauri’s poor results. Red Bull’s new sporting chief Oliver Mintzlaff, according to Michael Schmidt, a journalist with over 40 years of F1 experience, is unhappy with the financial performance of the Faenza-based team, which has been “under scrutiny” since the death of Dietrich Mateschitz.
A few days later, AlphaTauri released a statement from team principal Franz Tost denying the rumours.
“I had some very good meetings with Oliver Mintzlaff,” he
