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Toro Rosso Name Change Approved, Italian F1 Team Will Become Alpha Tauri In 2020

Based in Faenza and headed by Helmut Marko and Franz Tost, the Italians at Scuderia Toro Rosso will be known as Scuderia Alpha Tauri in 2020. The Red Bull-backed team requested the name change in September 2019, and the e-mail vote between teams has concluded.
Alexander Albon at STR 16 photos
Photo: Alexander Albon on Facebook
Alex Albon
Alpha Tauri is the fashion brand owned by the energy drink company from Austria, launched three years ago without too much pomp and circumstance. Named after a star in the… wait for it… Taurus constellation, the company is headquartered in the lovely city of Salzburg.

Toro Rosso came to be following a change of ownership from 2005. Built upon the foundations of the Minardi team, STR kicked off Formula 1 in 2006 at the Bahrain Grand Prix. Only one win was possible in all of these years, along with a pole position. Both come courtesy of Sebastian Vettel at the Italian Grand Prix in 2008 at the 3.6-mile Monza racetrack.

Little people remember, but during the period between Minardi and Scuderia Toro Rosso, the upstarts from Faenza were planned to switch their name to Squadra Toro Rosso. Documents released by the Companies House in the United Kingdom reveal that the team spent more in 2018, but turnover has also increased from 231 to 245 million pounds sterling. In terms of post-tax profits, STR reported £923,000 last year as opposed to £575,000 in 2017.

Turning our attention back to Scuderia Alpha Tauri, it should be highlighted that the clothing company is stylized AlphaTauri without a space between the two words. Heading over to their website, AT gives pompous descriptions about the brand such as “the star's placement directly on the Bull's eye aligns with the brand's focus on precision and perfection.” Right…

What comes as a surprise is that the apparel features premium materials such as Merino wool, cashmere, and leather. A padded zip-up sweatshirt for men retails at €149.90 while a 3D-knit college jacket with the logo on the right side of the chest will set you back €399.90.

It remains to be seen if Red Bull believes that a re-branding of Scuderia Toro Rosso is enough to bring success to the Alpha Tauri brand, the kind of commercial success to sustain such a costly business. Back in the 1980s, the Benetton family had an even greater involvement in F1 by buying Toleman. The efforts of the clothing company's team paid off, winning one constructors’ championships and two drivers’ championship with Michael Schumacher.
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About the author: Mircea Panait
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After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well.
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