F1 News: Daniel Ricciardo’s AlphaTauri Seat Effectively Secure as the Team Changes Age-Old Strategy to Stage Comeback

There is a shift in the tide coming for yet another Formula 1 team. However, for this Italian team, no external powers are taking over. The shift is internal, but it is integral to the team’s future and outlook. We are talking about AlphaTauri and its change in philosophy. Since its inception, AlphaTauri has worked as Red Bull‘s sister team, a subsidiary, and a stepping stone for young talents, if you may. However, that changing for good effectively guarantees a seat for Daniel Ricciardo even in the future.

It wasn’t long ago that Ricciardo was part of the Red Bull Racing academy and made his way into the circus through the same AlphaTauri, then Toro Rosso, route as most young RBR drivers do. This was the idea behind the team from the start, get new young promising drivers, and test them at AlphaTauri before considering promotion, something Liam Lawson is hopeful for as well. However, the new CEO of AlphaTauri, Peter Bayer, might have quashed Lawson’s dream while he secured Ricciardo’s seat.

New CEO reveals AlphaTauri’s approach in the coming season with the example of Daniel Ricciardo

Bayer recently revealed his intentions and ambitions for the future of soon-to-be-renamed AlphaTauri. New boss, a new name, and a new identity with hopes for much more competitiveness. This is the approach AlphaTauri will take from the upcoming season, so there might be no room for the age-old rookie promotion system anymore in the Italian team.

As quoted by Motorsport, he explained, “With a young driver the information flows from the operations room to the engineers, from the pit wall to the driver. ‘Be constantly careful in that corner. Make sure you have the right paddles,’ or ‘Brake later, brake earlier, check the steering, check the rear, check the engine braking.’ By the way, there’s someone coming from behind.”

The Austrian added, “Honestly, it’s like in a theater, the engineer is always busy talking on the radio. While with Daniel he’s calm. And once at the lap, he comes back and says: ‘Guys, there’s a problem with the rear, can you give a ‘look?’, ‘Oh, yes, we noticed overheating, we can work on the differential’. And it’s all solved.”

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Bayer’s use of Ricciardo as an example highlights how the team will look for experience in their drivers, effectively securing his position in the team, and better results heading into the new season at the behest of the stakeholders. Perhaps this is why the Faenza-based team with their operations in Bicester is moving to Milton Keynes.

AlphaTauri CEO justifies their added involvement with Red Bull

AlphaTauri has always been considered Red Bull’s junior team. However, as we read above, the team is planning to become more individualistic and separate its identity from the Austrian team. They want to become a team that fights regularly and isn’t in existence just to cater to Red Bull.

However, while embarking on this process, AlphaTauri has increased its reliance on the Red Bull. The Italian team is moving its aerodynamic wing to the Milton Keynes facility. This move will see the two sister teams work in extremely close quarters. The CEO explained the reason behind it.

Bayer explained, “The Milton Keynes Performance Centre is necessary because the Bicester facility is becoming too small already.”

He added, “Also, the lease in Bicester is running out, so we had to make a move anyway. And the advantage of obviously being closer to Red Bull Racing and their campus is that it will be easier for us when it’s about wind tunnel work, about simulator work. So that all will make life easier for all the engineers.”

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Now this added reliance will surely make the new generation of AlphaTauri cars more competitive. However, will this move help them separate their identity from Red Bull? We doubt it! It will be interesting to see how the two teams make this partnership work.