Helmut Marko - the advisor to AlphaTauri team owner Red Bull - revealed earlier this week that, contrary to speculation, the Faenza team will not be sold but instead expand its UK presence.
Speaking to Autosport sister website Formel1.de, Marko explained that the team’s Italian base will remain the main hub of the operation but that the stature of its Bicester outpost, home to its aerodynamic department, will increase.
The Austrian said: "The decision has been made. AlphaTauri will remain fully owned by Red Bull and will continue to be run as a junior team.
"The cooperation with Red Bull Racing will be closer, also in terms of cost cap and synergies."
Rumours concerning the future of the team - with a possible buyout seen as an easier way for a new entrant such as Andretti to enter F1 - have been exacerbated by ninth-placed AlphaTauri’s poor ground-effect-era form.
The security of its place in the Red Bull stable was also questioned in the wake of the 2022 death of the company’s co-founder Dietrich Mateschitz.
New Red Bull CEO Oliver Mintzlaff was reportedly unhappy with the team's performance and the failure to increase the brand identity of AlphaTauri via F1's popularity.
Source: Autosport