The AlphaTauri name has been in Formula 1 since 2020 when Toro Rosso got rebranded. However, Helmut Marko revealed that they are considering changing the team’s name once again.
AlphaTauri F1 team was initially known as Scuderia Toro Rosso, but it changed to promote AlphaTauri’s fashion brand. In its early days, it acted as a junior team to Red Bull but became the Milton-Keynes-based outfit’s sister team over the years. However, as things stand, some serious changes are set to take place at the Faenza-based outfit.
Earlier this year, rumors about Red Bull considering selling the outfit all together, emerged. These rumors were shut down very quickly, but it has been reported that the Austrian company isn’t satisfied with the high investment and low returns surrounding AlphaTauri’s F1 project. In a recent interview, Marko revealed that even though they won’t be selling the team in the immediate future, there are other monumental changes set to take place.
Helmut Marko explains why AlphaTauri has to be removed
The AlphaTauri name is not very popular outside the world of F1, according to Marko. The main reason behind Toro Rosso’s rebranding was to promote the Italian brand, but that has not worked wonders, because they aren’t sold in that many countries.
Talking about changing the name of their sister team, Marko said as reported by RacingNews365, “It is something we are reconsidering.”
The Austrian went on to admit that removing their brand from F1 was logical for all parties. This because AlphaTauri’s products are sold in only a few countries that are in the F1 calendar. Outside of those countries, promoting their brand does not make any sense.
Fans react to prospect of Toro Rosso returning
Even if the AlphaTauri name is removed from F1, it is unlikely that Red Bull will scrap their developmental project altogether. Team Faenza’s connections with Red Bull will remain, at least for the foreseeable future. This has led to fans speculating whether the Toro Rosso name will make a return to the sport.
Under the name of Toro Rosso, we’ve seen the team produce some truly iconic moments, including Sebastian Vettel’s incredible debut win in Monza. On social media, fans shared pictures of the older Toro Rosso cars, asking for it to be brought back to F1, in case AlphaTauri does leave the sport.
