Scuderia AlphaTauri was an Italian Formula 1 team founded by Red Bull after it rebranded from Toro Rosso to AlphaTauri. The new name was introduced to promote Red Bull’s fashion brand from the 2020 Formula One World Championship onwards.
Notable Team Members and Drivers
Pierre Gasly: Gasly won the team’s first race at the 2020 Italian Grand Prix. This victory was the highlight of his time with the team before moving to Alpine for the 2023 season.
Yuki Tsunoda: Tsunoda joined AlphaTauri in 2021. Known for his aggressive driving and verbal outbursts, rookie Tsunoda was kept by the team, which is known for changing drivers frequently, showing its commitment to him. This was evident in his retention for the 2024 season when AlphaTauri changed names yet again to RB to sit alongside Daniel Ricciardo.
Laurent Mekies: At the end of the 2023 season, Mekies took over as team principal from Franz Tost, bringing experience from Ferrari. His leadership marked a new chapter for the team as it transitioned to the 2024 season with significant changes, including a rebranding.
Previous Name: Toro Rosso
Next Name: RB Formula One Team
Scuderia AlphaTauri was no longer a junior team after rebranding from Toro Rosso, becoming Red Bull Racing‘s sister team.
The team first entered Formula One in 1985 as Minardi and was acquired by Red Bull in 2006. In September 2019, the team announced its intention to change its naming rights, and on 1 December 2019, it unveiled its new team name as AlphaTauri and retired the Scuderia Toro Rosso name, which it had carried for fourteen years.
From 1985 to 2005, Minardi raced in Formula One despite being one of the sport’s least competitive teams, failing to achieve a podium finish and only finishing as high as fourth in three races. Despite having a large fan base, Minardi’s owner, Paul Stoddart, claimed to have had 41 offers to purchase the team. He ultimately decided to sell it to someone who could ‘take it further’ and maintain it in its traditional base in Italy. As a result of their acquisition, Red Bull included a clause that the team must keep its headquarters in Faenza, Italy, until at least the 2007 season.
When Red Bull took control of the team on November 1, 2005, they abandoned the Minardi name and opted for a name that hinted at the team’s Italian heritage and aligned with their own sponsorship and marketing plans. The team was initially named ‘Squadra Toro Rosso’ (Team Red Bull) but was changed to ‘Scuderia Toro Rosso’ to avoid the squadra name, which suggests a football team. Instead, Scuderia was chosen as it is often used to describe Italian motor racing teams like Scuderia Ferrari. Despite the name change, many Minardi fans were upset, and over 15,000 signed an online petition to keep the original name.
Between 2007 and 2013, Toro Rosso used Ferrari engines after their parent team, Red Bull Racing, ended their contract with the Italian automaker to transition to Renault. Toro Rosso switched to Renault engines in 2014 but returned to Ferrari power in 2016. However, to align the two brands closer, Red Bull decided that the two teams should run Renault engines from 2017, operating under the ‘Toro Rosso’ name. By 2018, Red Bull Racing and Renault and fallen out due to performance and reliability concerns, and the teams ultimately changed to Honda in 2018, acquiring a new deal after Honda ended its time with McLaren.
During its four seasons, the team’s racing results included a single victory and two podium finishes, all delivered by Pierre Gasly. He won the 2020 Italian Grand Prix and secured third place at the 2021 Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
For the 2024 season, AlphaTauri was no more and was re-branded as the Racing Bulls (RB), racing under the banner of Visa Cash App RB Formula One Team (VCARB).
AlphaTauri Formula One World Championship Records
| First entry | 2020 Austrian Grand Prix |
|---|---|
| Races entered | 83 |
| Constructors’ Championships | 0 |
| Drivers’ Championships | 0 |
| Race victories | 1 |
| Podiums | 2 |
| Points | 309 |
| Pole positions | 0 |
| Fastest laps | 2 |
| Final entry | 2023 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix |
AlphaTauri Constructor Championship Results
| Year | Name | Car | Drivers | Points | WCC |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | AlphaTauri | AT01 | Pierre Gasly Daniil Kvyat | 107 | 7th |
| 2021 | AlphaTauri | AT02 | Pierre Gasly Yuki Tsunoda | 142 | 6th |
| 2022 | AlphaTauri | AT03 | Pierre Gasly Yuki Tsunoda | 35 | 9th |
| 2023 | AlphaTauri | AT04 | Pierre Gasly Yuki Tsunoda Daniel Ricciardo Nyck de Vries | 25 | 8th |
