Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko responds to 'not satisfactory' AlphaTauri sale rumours

Red Bull advisor Dr. Helmut Marko has said that the decision to sell AlphaTauri will depend on the shareholders of the company.

There have been reports that Red Byll might cut ties with its sister team in the future following their poor 2022 result, finishing P9 in the constructor's championship. AlphaTauri, who were slowly moving their way up, slumped down to the back of the field after creating an unreliable car last season.

Speaking to Sky Deutschland, Marko said that Alpha Tauri's result last year was 'not satisfactory:

“In general, we don’t comment on rumours. But such a decision is entirely up to the shareholders – these are rumours that we do not comment on in detail.

"You think about how you can increase efficiency. If you have a team that wins the World Championship, and the other one is only around the ninth place, the synergies don’t seem to work properly. The overall result is not satisfactory. As proper business people, our shareholders will make the right decision.”

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“I think they’ve made a big step" - Red Bull team boss on most improved team of 2023

Red Bull team boss Christian Horner said that Aston Martin are the 'most improved' team heading into the 2023 season after they impressed in pre-season.

Speaking to F1.com, Horner said:

“I think they’ve made a big step. It looks like their concept of car has moved them forward, and they look like they’re not too far away, so Fernando (Alonso) in particular looks very competitive. Very difficult to say. I mean Ferrari look like they’re quick, Mercedes’ form (is) difficult to read at the moment. Are they holding something back? We’ll see this time next week; I think all will become clear.”

He also commented on Red Bull driver Sergio Perez's performance in the pre-season test:

“It’s been pretty consistent with Max’s, which is always refreshing to hear, so therefore the development of the car and the direction that we’ll be looking to optimise the car in future races is consistent between both sides of the garage, so that’s encouraging,”

It will be interesting to see if Red Bull can extend their advantage over their rivals in the 2023 season and claim their second double in as many seasons.