(Motorsports news) Franz Tost has led the Faenza-based team that was once known as Toro Rosso for eighteen years. Tost has managed Sebastian Vettel, Max Verstappen, Daniel Ricciardo, Carlos Sainz, and Alex Albon while serving as a Red Bull junior team. Additionally, he was a strong supporter of Tsunoda, who will compete for the squad in his fourth season in 2024. According to the current AlphaTauri racer, Tost’s “backup” was essential in helping him stay on the correct course. He states, “Obviously, without Franz, I’m not here in F1.”
Every race, he definitely gives me a lot of advice. We share our joy and sorrow with one another even in the good and terrible times. He is the team’s biggest fan at all times, Tsunoda added. Tost weighed in during times when Tsunoda’s F1 career was in doubt, stating that a driver must compete at the highest level for three seasons. Tsunoda was asked if this was a reasonable timetable, to which he responded, “First year, there were a lot of reasons why I wasn’t able to truly exhibit a performance, especially in the first half of the season.
However, I started to improve and gain more confidence after the previous year. Right now, my main goal is to be a complete driver rather than just quick. “My goals also include providing input on areas for improvement or demonstrating maturity in trying circumstances. “It’s a good thing that I can identify my weakness every year, and I’ve been working on it.”
The team won the Italian Grand Prix in 2008 with Sebastian Vettel and in 2020 with Pierre Gasly, while Tost was in charge. However, AlphaTauri lost its way when the ground effects regulations were implemented in 2022, dropping from sixth to ninth place in the constructors’ championship. After that, it was at the bottom for the majority of the season until a strong run of upgrades cleared the way for a late ascent to ninth position.
Tost managed to halt the decline by implementing adjustments in the aerodynamic department; nevertheless, in late April, the long-serving CEO was announced to be leaving due to the passing of Red Bull co-owner Dietrich Mateschitz and a shift in senior management. Laurent Mekies, the sporting director of Ferrari, will take over for him.
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