AlphaTauri’s performance this season has not been up to the mark. Now Helmut Marko is planning another rebranding to help the team find its way back.
Earlier in 2020, Toro Rosso became AlphaTauri. This change came into play as the team proved itself to be a sister team as opposed to the junior team they once were. The team was performing well in the first couple of seasons, but in the last 2 seasons, their performance has been deteriorating.
Here is what Helmut Marko had to say about this:
“AlphaTauri will have two new leaders in 2024, Laurent Mekies and Peter Bayer. There will be new sponsors and a new name. The orientation is clear: follow Red Bull Racing as far as the regulations allow. Own designs are the wrong way to go.”
The AlphaTauri name will NOT be in F1 for 2024 according to Helmut Marko 👀
Could we see the return of Toro Rosso? 🤔#F1 #AustrianGP pic.twitter.com/zcr7yWZmpW
— Autosport (@autosport) June 28, 2023
Ever since the change to AlphaTauri, they have been developing their own parts instead of getting parts from Red Bull as they once did. Although the regulation does not allow a team to completely copy a design from another team, there are limits to how much you can copy. Helmut Marko will take complete advantage of this rule to make sure that both teams perform well.
What will AlphaTauri’s name be for the 2024 season?
Helmut Marko has not yet revealed the name of the team for 2024. There is a lot of speculation that they would return to their original name, Toro Rosso.
I speak for EVERYONE when I say we want Toro Rosso back https://t.co/gAwj6FfZea pic.twitter.com/JnnWpOxhaC
— Fifth Gear (@NotFifthGear) June 28, 2023
The Toro Rosso has a long history with the sport. A year after Red Bull Racing made its debut in Formula 1, Toro Rosso made its entry. Since then the team has been managed by Franz Tost who has a talent for nurturing young drivers. However, Franz Tost is set to retire after this year. From next year onwards, Laurent Meikes and Peter Bayer will take over the leadership of the team.
Will Helmut Marko retain the current AlphaTauri lineup for 2024?
Helmut Marko was asked about the driver lineup for the 2024 season. He replied:
“Basically, Yuki is having a very good season with unfortunate results and penalties, but the performance is right, with Nyck de Vries, however, we are not satisfied, we are looking at that as well.”
Yuki Tsunoda has been having a good season so far. The result may not show it, but his driving has improved over the last couple of years. Nyck de Vries on the other hand is another story.
Nyck de Vries was signed by AlphaTauri following an impressive one-off debut with Williams. During the 2022 Italian Grand Prix, Nyck de Vries stood in for a sick Alex Albon. De Vries went on to score 2 points in his first race in Formula 1. There was speculation that Williams would sign Nyck for the 2023 season, but AlphaTauri jumped the gun and signed him.
Helmut Marko has admitted he may have been wrong to sign Nyck de Vries at AlphaTauri for the 2023 season, telling the Inside Line F1 podcast that Christian Horner wasn’t a fan of the Dutchman 👀
Did AlphaTauri sign the wrong driver? 🤔 pic.twitter.com/Z8ci5vINIQ
— Autosport (@autosport) June 28, 2023
Although Nyck is a rookie in Formula 1, he has had a lot of experience in other forms of motorsport including Formula 2 and Formula E. He won the Championship in both. Since he is currently 29 years old, AlphaTauri cannot afford to waste too much time on his development as a driver. If Nyck hopes to retain his seat for next year, he needs to put in some impressive performances in the coming weekends.
We are now approaching the halfway mark with the Austrian Grand Prix coming up this weekend. It is basically now or never for Nyck de Vries. Let’s see if he does what is expected of him and retain that seat.