CWhat’s more adrenaline-filled than seeing your Formula 1 team compete (and win) on circuits around the world? Probably have two teams. This must have been the thought of Dietrich Mateschitz, the Austrian entrepreneur who founded the Red Bull brandwho after having brought success to the team that bears the name of his company, in 2005 decided to acquire another team (the Italian Minardi) and give life to a second Formula 1 team.
Initially known as Red Bullthe Stable based in Faenza in 2020 it changed its name to AlphaTauri and since then, in addition to having launched his own fashion brand and trained an impressive number of champions, in 2020 he also took home a Italian Grand Prix thanks to the victory of Pierre Gasly, the first with the new name 12 years after Sebastian Vettel’s first success on the same Monza circuit with Toro Rosso in 2008.
Whatever it Takes: how a winning team is born
How do you lead a new team to victory? How is it formed? The spirit that distinguishes AlphaTauri compared to the most famous and renowned F1 houses is that of always looking for new young talents. Which after being trained, could eventually move on to the “big sister” Red Bull. A research that does not only concern pilots, but also technicians, engineers and strategists. Tomorrow’s champions are trained here.
To tell the spirit of this team, Mateschitz, before passing away in 2022, had decided to document the growth and ability to adapt to change of this dynamic team and, in 2021, at the first update of the regulations in Formula 1, he entrusted the director Luca Curto the task of delving into the AlphaTauri world.
Behind the scenes of F1 with Whatever it Takes
Enthusiasts know this well, but those who follow car races from the sofa at home perhaps don’t imagine how many people, professionalism and skills are needed to bring Formula 1 races to the track. The organizational machine is titanic, the challenges in creating and perfecting these jewels of automotive engineering are immense and require the commitment of hundreds of people working in teams 365 days a year.
The film does a very good job the dedication, the passion, the joys and sorrows of the world of Formula 1, its constant challenges, the changing regulations, the suffering of defeats and the priceless exhilaration of victories. Made with enough detail to satisfy even the most competent, thanks to the fast pace and the naturally adrenaline-filled environment of the races, the film manages to excite even those who know little about Formula 1 or nothing.
We start from origins of Scuderia Toro Rosso, to arrive at the latest success of Scuderia AlphaTaurifollowing the compelling determination of Franz Tost, Team Principal and spiritual father of the team, with his engineers, his young drivers and all the members of a staff committed to teamwork from the bottom of their hearts.
Make way for young people
In Dietrich Mateschitz’s original idea, this secondary team was to serve to train the professionals who would then move on to Red Bull. A speech that was immediately put into practice for the pilots – they were “born here”: Sebastian Vettel, Daniel Ricciardo, Pierre Gassly, Carlos Sainz and now Yuki Tsunoda – but also for engineers.
An external visitor may be struck by figures like that of Chiara Cipri, 28 years old, for four Reliability Engineers hired immediately after graduation, and now responsible for assembling the car, with the task of checking every day, together with a team of mechanics, that the car that will go on the track is in impeccable condition. And instead the story of this young engineer is common to many members of Scuderia AlphaTauri, whose mission is also that of train professionals in the sector.
On the other hand, as he explained to us with the typical Faenza frankness Fabiana Valenti, Head of Communication of the team: “Everyone asks for experience when looking for work, but how can a young person do it if no one makes him do it?”. And so the tutoring program applies to the entire company philosophy.
Whatever it Takes in Venice 80
Driver Yuki Tsunoda on the Grand Canal in front of the Scuderia AlphaTauri AT03 at the premiere of “Whatever it Takes – the Race before the Races” on September 6, 2023 in Venice. (Photo by Rudy Carezzevoli/Getty Images for Scuderia AlphaTauri) // Getty Images / Rudy Carezzevoli / Red Bull
To make this film known to everyone, industry insiders and fans, a screening was organized in Venice during the 80th Venice Film Festival, with an event at the Palazzina Grassi, hosted by Federica Masolin, the very popular presenter of Formula 1 Sky Italia. To the delight of the fans, Team Principal Franz Tost, Technical Director Jody Egginton, along with the other team members featured in the film and pilot Yuki Tsunodaarrived in Laguna in a tuxedo like James Bond.
In the words of one of the protagonists, Franz Tost, this film «offers a detailed look behind the scenes. It’s not just about the intense activity on race Sunday, but also about the entire laborious preparatory process, which ranges from the technical aspect to the management of marketing and media relations. All these elements must be perfectly coordinated to ensure an excellent holiday weekendplow”.
Yuki Tsunoda said: «I had the opportunity to discover so many things, such as the complexity of teamwork behind the scenes and the impressive amount of people, time and effort invested in just two machines. I am truly honored to be one of the two drivers of Scuderia AlphaTauri and to have the opportunity to drive such a technologically advanced car.”
If you are curious, and for those who did not have the opportunity to be in Venice on September 6th, the film (Ita/Eng) will soon be visible on Sky Italia.
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