Red Bull’s strengthened ties with AlphaTauri emerge in new report

AlphaTauri’s stronger ties with Red Bull have reportedly been a key factor in the team’s late-season surge in F1 2023, with the relationship between the teams set to deepen going forward.

Having claimed just four points finishes across the first 17 races, AlphaTauri have scored at each of the last three since introducing a major upgrade package at last month’s United States Grand Prix.

With just two rounds remaining in Las Vegas and Abu Dhabi, the team sit just seven points behind Williams in the fight for seventh place in the Constructors’ standings having been bottom just a few weeks ago.

Red Bull aiming to mimic Ferrari-Haas bond with AlphaTauri

A new report by Italian publication Formu1a.uno has shed light on the circumstances behind AlphaTauri’s revival, with Red Bull’s influence pivotal.

The relationship between the teams is set to grow even closer from here – mirroring Ferrari’s bond with Haas, who since arriving on the grid in 2016 have raced with as many parts from the Scuderia as is allowed under F1’s regulations – with AlphaTauri set to compete with a more “Red Bull-ised” car next season.

AlphaTauri’s technical team are aiming to bring as many upgrades as possible to the season finale in Abu Dhabi next weekend with the aim of establishing a firm development path for the 2024 car, with another new floor set to arrive at Yas Marina.

The report claims that AlphaTauri’s sudden progress is comparable to that of McLaren, who have emerged as Red Bull’s closest threat in recent months after a slow start to 2023.

Having started the year with the rear-suspension design of Red Bull’s 2022 title-winning car, AlphaTauri’s season turned at the Singapore GP in September when they switched to the 2023 car’s suspension, which combined with tweaks to the floor has made the AT04’s aerodynamic platform more stable.

AlphaTauri have also addressed the car’s biggest weakness from the start of 2023 – drag – with the team benefiting from the extra wind tunnel time afforded to them having been bottom of the Constructors’ Championship at the end of June, the point when F1’s sliding scale of development resets to reflect the current season’s standings.

A breakthrough in correlation between wind tunnel data and the track since August has helped AlphaTauri’s recovery, with the team having access to Red Bull’s Milton Keynes-based tunnel for more than a year. While AlphaTauri’s aero department is still situated in nearby Bicester, the team will move towards “more direct sharing” with Red Bull.

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The renewed synergy between the teams will be evident both technically and commercially, with AlphaTauri set for a name change in 2024.

Clothing giants Hugo Boss and Adidas have both been linked to a title sponsorship deal over recent months, though the report claims the team – who originally competed under the Scuderia Toro Rosso banner between 2006 and 2019 – will “carry a name more akin to the Red Bull brand.”

The new identity – as well as the appointment of a new team principal, former Ferrari sporting director Laurent Mekies, for 2024 – is part of a concerted attempt to establish “a more solid future” for AlphaTauri.

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