Franz Tost

Austrian who led Red Bull's second team, Toro Rosso and then AlphaTauri, for 18 years until the end of 2023

Franz Tost

Austrian who led Red Bull's second team, Toro Rosso and then AlphaTauri, for 18 years until the end of 2023

Franz Tost was Austrian Formula Ford champion in 1983, concluded that he was not quite skilled enough to reach the top as a driver, and enrolled at Innsbruck and Vienna to read sport science and management. That led to a job running a racing school, and then to Willi Weber's Formula Three team, where the young Ralf Schumacher came into his life.

He followed Schumacher to Williams, working for engine partner BMW as track operations manager, and in 2005 he was named team principal of Toro Rosso, the former Minardi now owned by Red Bull. He stayed through its rebranding as AlphaTauri in 2020, with sixth place in the constructors' standings in 2008, 2019 and 2021 his best results, and left at the end of 2023 after 18 years. Few principals have stayed so long in one chair.

Teams led

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