F1 News: AlphaTauri Team Principal Franz Tost To Exit Team For New Red Bull Role, Confirms Helmut Marko

The new role takes him towards semi-retirement.

AlphaTauri team principal Franz Tost might be heading towards semi-retirement as he is set to end his existing role for the new role of being Red Bull's "stand-by consultant" until the end of 2025, as per Red Bull motorsport advisor Dr Helmut Marko. 

Tost's retirement from the current role marks the end of an era at AlphaTauri, the team he had led since its inception in 2006. The 2023 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix marked the end of Tost's journey with Red Bull's sister team following his decision to retire from the position.

Previously known as Toro Rosso and currently undergoing a name change, Tost's tenure saw the development of talents like Max Verstappen and Sebastian Vettel, who went on to achieve success with Red Bull. Notable drivers such as Daniel Ricciardo, Carlos Sainz, Alex Albon, Pierre Gasly, and Yuki Tsunoda also received their Formula 1 opportunities under Tost's leadership.

Speaking to Sky Germany, Marko confirmed that Tost will be available to the team as a consultant after his exit as team principal. He said:

“He will be doing stand-by consulting for the years 2024 and 2025.

“If we or the people at AlphaTauri need him, they can contact him. But he is free to do anything else that doesn’t clash with Formula 1.

“After 18 years, he deserves to finally be able to pursue his beloved sport of skiing as a Tyrolean.”

Recognizing his efforts, Marko appreciated Tost's role in schooling champions like Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen, who brought in a total of seven world titles for the team as of this year. He added:

“He is a hard bone with a soft centre.

“It hurts, it wasn’t just the 18 years with us, he was in motorsport with many others before that.

“The extraordinary thing about him is that the two World Champions we brought in went to school with him. The training was so good that they were immediately able to fight for the title at Red Bull Racing. That is a huge credit to him.”

As Verstappen solidifies his position as the top figure in Formula 1 and remains committed to Red Bull until the conclusion of 2028, the question arises: what heights will he set as the ultimate standard for success in the series?