AlphaTauri F1 Team In Trouble As Red Bull Deems It Too Expensive To Maintain
AlphaTauri, Red Bull's sister team in F1, is facing big changes. Reports suggest that the racing team could be sold or relocated to England. It has been reported that there are already three interested parties.
The new head of sports in the Red Bull Group, Oliver Mintzlaff, is putting many things to the test that were previously taken for granted. AlphaTauri is reportedly under observation due to the current financial pressures facing the team.
AlphaTauri costs more money than its big brother, Red Bull, and will receive around $100 million less from the Formula 1 cake this year. As a result, the team has to close the gap to the cost cap itself, while the world champion team earns more money than is allowed to spend under the budget cap.
The current model with headquarters in Faenza, Italy, and the aerodynamics team in Bicester, England, is proving to be inefficient. Moreover, the level of synergies with Red Bull is not fully exploited, causing further financial pressures on the team.
There are two options currently being considered to solve the AlphaTauri problem. One is for the racing team to move to England, closer to Red Bull, to save costs in the medium term. The other is a complete sale of the racing team. Three interested parties have already expressed their interest, the same candidates who applied to the FIA for a place on the Formula 1 grid.
The FIA allows a maximum of twelve teams in the Formula 1 grid, and buying an existing team is the easier and cheaper solution for those interested in entering the premier class. However, the criteria to be admitted to the exclusive club as a new team are strict. The FIA is currently examining the applications of the candidates and will decide by April 30th whether and for whom the basics are sufficient to enter into a detailed analysis of the economic, technical, and personnel resources.
Andretti Autosport and Oliver Oakes' HitechGP team are two of the teams that have applied to join the Formula 1 field. Hitech, which has rented out Formula 2 cockpits to Red Bull juniors in recent years, is the favorite for the takeover of AlphaTauri.
The British racing team had previously attracted attention primarily through its starts in Formula 3 and Formula 2. An Indian billionaire, who owns the Mumbai Falcons Racing Team, has expressed interest in Hitech. Initially, Hitech was funded by Dmitry Mazepin, but due to the war against Ukraine, he had to resign as a donor. Meanwhile, the money should come from Dubai.