AlphaTauri is now considered the “sister team” to Red Bull rather than their junior outfit following their rebranding, Helmut Marko says.
On Friday, Formula 1 got its first look at the team’s new identity, taking the name of Red Bull’s emerging clothing line, with the launch of the AT01 at the company’s famous Hangar 7 in Salzburg.
Reaction to the bold black and white livery has been very positive and with AlphaTauri an important part of Red Bull’s plan going forward, the decision to bring the name to F1 isn’t being taken lightly.
“With this name change and all this publicity and the funds going into promotion, the demand [for resources] has clearly increased,” team advisor Marko told Motorsport-Magazin.
“There is a transformation and an upgrading from junior to sister team. Everything that is permitted and as far as our capacities are sufficient is [also provided] at AlphaTauri,” he said.
That has also led to team boss Franz Tost setting a lofty goal for the Italian team in 2020.
“The expectations are that we must be within the top five in the Constructors’ Championship,” he revealed.
“Why? Because first of all, the car showed very good results in the wind tunnel.
“Second, Honda, our friends in Japan, made big progress during the winter months from the performance side as well as the reliability side.
“Third, we have two good drivers. They showed that already last year when we just missed the middle of the podium, so that means that you know what you have to do!
“We have a very close relationship with Red Bull technologies,” Tost added. “We have the complete rear suspension and gearbox, the hydraulics and the front suspension, that means also from the mechanical side that we are very competitive.”
However, Marko would warn that Red Bull remains by far the main focus in terms of fighting at the front of the grid and AlphaTauri will only feel the benefits at a later date.
“With the pace of development that Red Bull Racing has, we more than challenged ourselves, especially in this early phase of the season,” he explained.
“The backlog is between three and six months. The great evolution has taken place at Red Bull and this can only be incorporated [at AlphaTauri] by the middle of the season at the earliest, if at all.”