Laurent Mekies will take Franz Tost’s place as head of AlphaTauri
Franz Tost will leave AlphaTauri at the end of the season, and the Sporting Director of Ferrari will take his place at the helm of the Faenza team.
It’s official: the director of AlphaTauri Racing Team, Franz Tost, will indeed leave the team by the end of 2023. French engineer Laurent Mekies, currently the sporting director of Ferrari, will replace him, AlphaTauri announced in a statement. Laurent Mekies will join Scuderia AlphaTauri as the new team director at a later confirmed date, the team specifies. Franz Tost will not pack his bags, as he will continue to work with AlphaTauri as a consultant in 2024.
At the same time, the team takes the opportunity to announce that Peter Bayer, also a former employee of the FIA like Mekies, will be the new Team Principal later this year. He previously held the position of Executive Director of F1 and Secretary General for Sport at the FIA. Peter Bayer will be responsible for the team’s strategic direction, both in Faenza and in the United Kingdom.
The face of AlphaTauri for 18 years
Franz Tost, a key figure in the development of Scuderia AlphaTauri and its predecessor Scuderia Toro Rosso, joined the Faenza team as team principal when it was created in 2005. Under his leadership, Toro Rosso achieved its first victory on home soil at the Italian Grand Prix in 2008, with Sebastian Vettel behind the wheel. After the team changed its name to Scuderia AlphaTauri, the Austrian led the team to another victory by winning a second race in Monza in 2020, with Pierre Gasly.
Franz Tost’s achievements do not stop there: he also played a key role in the progression of a generation of Formula 1 drivers, including Sebastian Vettel, Max Verstappen, Daniel Ricciardo, Pierre Gasly, and Carlos Sainz.
« It has been a true privilege to lead the team for such a long period (18 years, Editor’s note) and a great pleasure to work with so many motivated and competent individuals who share my passion for Formula 1, says Franz Tost. « At the age of 67, it is time to pass the baton, and with Peter as the new CEO and Laurent as the team director, we have found two very professional individuals who will take the team to the next level. »
Laurent Mekies, a comeback at AlphaTauri
On his part, Laurent Mekies is far from being an unknown face at AlphaTauri. His appointment as the team principal at Scuderia AlphaTauri brings him back to where he achieved his first successes, first as a race engineer, then as chief engineer and vehicle performance manager.
After his first stint in Faenza, Laurent Mekies spent four years at the FIA as the Safety Director and Deputy Race Director before joining Ferrari in 2018. For his new position, he will be in charge of the team’s daily operations, including technical operations, manufacturing, support, and of course, the racing team.
« I would like to pay tribute to Franz for the wonderful work he has done for almost two decades at the helm of Faenza, comments the future team leader. « I wish him good luck for the future and I know that Peter and I will rely on his advice and expertise in the future. Looking to the future, I am honored to take on the role of team director and return to the team where I spent a large part of my career. Scuderia AlphaTauri has all the necessary ingredients to achieve even greater success in the future, he further asserts.
