CEO responds to Red Bull and AlphaTauri ‘copy’ suggestion with ties set to strengthen

Michelle Foster 06 Jul 2023 9:45 AM

AlphaTauri driver Nyck de Vries in action during the F1 season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix. Sakhir, March 2023.

新AlphaTauri首席执行官彼得拜耳曾经说过“自那时起rgies” and “efficiency” but is adamant next year’s car won’t be a “copy” of the Red Bull RB19.

AlphaTauri will be under new management next season with Bayer signed as the team’s CEO while Laurent Mekies will replace the outgoing Franz Tost as team principal.

The decision to change management came after a disappointing 2022 season for the Faenza team, who scored just 35 points and finished the campaign down in ninth place.

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This season they have just two points on the board from nine races with Tost lambasting his engineers earlier in the year when he said he no longer trusts them.

It begs the question why AlphaTauri, the junior team, don’t lean more heavily on Red Bull who have once again designed a race-winning car.

Bayer says next season they will, but insists it won’t be a “copy” cat car.

“I’m really looking forward to it. We love sport and that’s why we’re there week after week. I think the timing is ideal because a lot is changing at Red Bull too. Franz Tost steps back,” he toldServus TV.

“Now it’s about bringing these teams closer together and finding technical synergies.

“We are not allowed to copy the car. But we can get parts. We think we need to use all the synergies, which hasn’t happened so far.”

But that’s not all he plans to take from the Red Bull model.

“Commercial partners, looking for sponsors, career paths for employees, communication – there are many options to emulate your big brother and find your way back to success,” he continued.

While Bayer has taken on the role of AlphaTauri CEO, it’s Mekies who’ll be the team principal when Tost steps down at the end of this year.

“I think the split makes sense,” Bayer added. “Formula 1 has become complex. I was the project manager for Financial Regulations.

“In addition, there is everything that concerns commerce and politics, many areas. When you split that up well and in a new way, that allows for focus and therefore efficiency.”

For Bayer and Mekies it will be the second time in their Formula 1 careers that they’ve worked together having previously been with the FIA at the same time.

“Laurent Mekies was safety director,” he said. “We’ve always gotten along very well, and recently exchanged ideas again. There is blind trust and understanding.”

Red Bull motorsport advisor Helmut Marko is hoping Bayer and Mekies can return the Red Bull junior team into the black having criticised both AlphaTauri’s spending and results in recent months.

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“AlphaTauri cost more money than Red Bull Racing but had worse results. Red Bull is a zero-sum game,” he said.

“The idea was always that this is a junior team. The crucial thing was that with the changes to the regulations, there was a change. The synergies must be tightened.”

He, however, made it clear Red Bull wants AlphaTauri to succeed as it’s the training ground for Red Bull’s future World Champions.

“Max Verstappen and Sebastian Vettel have come to Red Bull Racing well prepared through AlphaTauri and Toro Rosso,” he added. “Due to changes in the regulations, the team has recently slipped into a low and has a new management.

“There is anticipation, but also expectation. If you have the best team and the others don’t follow, then that certainly gives us the confidence to be successful in midfield.”