Franz Tost: a leader who launched champions

Nov 22, 2023, 12:01 AM

He’s the second longest-serving Team Principal in the 2023 Formula 1 paddock, but after 18 years in charge of AlphaTauri and Toro Rosso, Franz Tost is hanging up his pitwall headphones.

Ahead of his final race in Abu Dhabi, Tost sits down with Tom Clarkson to talk about the highs and lows of leading the team from its inception.

Hear about Franz’s sometimes challenging relationship with senior team Red Bull Racing, his team's sensational Grand Prix wins at Monza in 2008 and 2020, and how he helped launch the careers of multiple World Champions, Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen.

Franz gives his views on what's next for current AlphaTauri driver Yuki Tsunoda and 2023's stand-in star, Liam Lawson. Plus, the Austrian tells Tom which of the 17 drivers he’s worked with have impressed him the most and his five stages of development for rookies.

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