Red Bull boss Christian Horner has dismissed any theories suggesting that AlphaTauri is the new incarnation of the infamous “Pink Mercedes.”
Before it assumed its current identity as Aston Martin, the team owned by Lawrence Stroll was known as Racing Point. It was accused of having an uncomfortably close technical relationship with the dominant Mercedes team, sparking controversy within the sport. So as AlphaTauri emerged from a performance slump midway through the 2023 season, many wondered if the new “synergies” with its parent team, Red Bull Racing, had resulted in the replication of car parts akin to the “Pink Mercedes” saga.
However, Christian Horner swiftly put those speculations to rest. “It’s a long way from a ‘pink Mercedes’,” he asserted. “There are some transferable components that are clearly listed in the rulebook, and that’s what they have. But if you look at that car, there are fundamental differences between the AlphaTauri and the Red Bull.”
Horner emphasized that other teams on the grid were more akin to their parent teams in concept, using Aston Martin and McLaren as examples. “Just look at the Aston Martin,” he said, implying that the technical relationship was still more distinct than those instances. “Or even the McLaren – if you look at the rear suspension, it’s very similar in concept to ours.”
The Red Bull Racing boss insists that both Mercedes and Ferrari had their own close technical relationships with other teams, involving the supply of various components. “Of course, it’s then up to them how they use those tools,” Horner explained. “You can see that McLaren has used those tools, in some respects, better than its supplier has done.”
