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Red Bull Confirms Chances of $700 Million Sale of Max Verstappen’s Former F1 Team

Somin Bhattacharjee
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Red Bull Confirms Chances of $700 Million Sale of Max Verstappen’s Former F1 Team

Over the last few weeks, very strong rumors surrounding AlphaTauri’s potential sale have emerged. According to multiple reports, the new Red Bull boss Oliver Mintzlaff is not as big a fan of F1 as his predecessor Dietrich Mateschitz was. As a result, they don’t want to invest huge sums of money in two teams in F1.

AlphaTauri finished the 2022 season in P9, and that was a financial failure for a company as big as Red Bull. The sister team of the five-time world champions has their base located in Faenza, Italy, which means that their operational costs are significantly higher.

According to AMuS, Red Bull wants AlphaTauri to relocate to England, or it could be sold off completely. Red Bull F1 team’s chief advisor Helmut Marko admitted that the possibility of their B-team getting sold is high, but that is a decision that will be taken entirely by the management of the company.

Multiple reports have also stated that Red Bull is asking for $700 million to finalize the sale of AlphaTauri.

Also read: Lewis Hamilton Signals Max Verstappen As Most Likely 2023 Title Winner

AlphaTauri sale is understandable, says Red Bull boss

The AlphaTauri venture started way back during Marko’s early Red Bull days. The 79-year-old wanted a feeder team that would nurture talents before they made the big step to Red Bull’s main team & it has developed some legendary drivers like Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen.

However, Marko does admit that selling AlphaTauri is understandable. The team finished P9 last year, which was a huge financial loss and the sponsorship money for the upcoming season was always going to be significantly lesser.

Marko did not confirm the sale but only talked about the chances of his project being sold over. “These are rumors that we don’t comment on in detail,” he said.

Also read: Kevin Magnussen Wife: Everything to know about Louise Gjørup and children

Is Marko open to selling his life’s work?

Several people feel that Marko will be reluctant about selling AlphaTauri. He stared the team as Toro Rosso, and developed multiple young talents in F1 who have gone on to become huge stars. In an interview with Sky Sports, he talks about how AlphaTauri is a ‘philosophy’ of Red Bull.

However, if the team does not perform properly or bring in enough money, the best course of action would be to sell it off. Emotionally, it could be said that Marko is not open to this sale, but if the Red Bull hierarchy decide on going ahead with it, he does not have much of a choice.

About the author

Somin Bhattacharjee

Somin Bhattacharjee

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Formula 1 Editor Somin Bhattacharjee fell for the sport as well as Fernando Alonso on the same day — during the Spaniard’s thrilling victory at the German GP in 2010. Over the years, the passion magnified manyfold, and metamorphosed into a writing career in 2021. Though holding a bachelor's degree in marketing, Somin discovered his true calling in writing. He has penned over 2,700 articles for TheSportsRush, presenting a diverse range — news reports, opinions, and exclusives. A true Tiffosi, Somin never gives up on a chance to defend the Ferrari boys as a fan. As a sports writer though, he remains objective to the core and relishes opportunities to follow and engage in dissecting the action during races. That’s where the real thrill lies for him. Beyond the racetrack, Somin plays different sports including soccer. He enjoys exploring other sporting events and proudly supports Spanish soccer club Real Madrid.

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