AlphaTauri’s AT04 will race for the first time in Bahrain this weekend (Photo: Getty)
AlphaTauri team principal Franz Tost has announced that the Formula One team will not be sold despite reports suggesting the contrary.
The Italian team, previously known as Toro Rosso, first raced in 2006 after Red Bull purchased Minardi just a year after entering the sport themselves.
Since then they have acted as a feeder team of sorts to the main Red Bull outfit, handing many promising young drivers their debut and F1 experience before they progress to the front of the grid.
Some of their notable former drivers include Sebastian Vettel, Max Verstappen, Daniel Ricciardo and Carlos Sainz Jr.
However, ahead of the 2023 season, which starts this weekend with the Bahrain Grand Prix, speculation was rife that the team were up for sale.
These rumours began following the death of Red Bull founder and owner Dietrich Mateschitz in October last year, with some reports suggesting that the organisation’s new CEO Oliver Mintzlaff could scale back their involvement in F1.
But on Wednesday, Tost released a statement rubbishing all of this, saying: ‘I had some very good meetings with Oliver Mintzlaff, who confirmed that the shareholders will not sell Scuderia AlphaTauri, and that Red Bull will continue supporting the team in the future.
Max Verstappen began his career at AlphaTauri – when it was known as Toro Ross – back in 2015 (Photo: Getty)
‘All these rumours have no foundation, and the team has to remain focused for the start of the season to perform better than last year.’
In 2022, AlphaTauri finished a disappointing ninth in the standings, with Pierre Gasly recording a best finish of fifth in Azerbaijan.
For this season, Yuki Tsunoda will continue racing for the team while rookie Nyck de Vries replaces Gasly following his move to Alpine.
This news will come as a blow to any prospective new team owners, with several parties reportedly interested in joining F1 with its popularity at an all-time high.
This includes Andretti-Cadillac, though the American outfit are hoping to enter as a brand new team, a plan that has been met with a lot of resistance.
MORE : ‘Super confident’ Max Verstappen won’t be stopped – Eddie Jordan’s 2023 Formula 1 predictions
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The Red Bull B-team has been on the grid since 2006.