P1racenews AI automatic summary:
The Abu Dhabi Grand Prix marked Franz Tost’s final race in Formula 1 and the outgoing Austrian has received praise from compatriot and Red Bull advisor Dr Helmut Marko.
Franz Tost, the AlphaTauri Team Principal, participated in his last race at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. He has been leading the Red Bull sister team since it was established in 2006. Under his guidance, the team won two races, with Sebastian Vettel in 2008 and Pierre Gasly in 2020. Both Vettel and Max Verstappen, who raced for Toro Rosso under Tost’s supervision, went on to achieve great success at Red Bull. Tost’s influence on their development was praised by Dr Helmut Marko, who said that Vettel and Verstappen became championship material almost immediately after moving to Red Bull. Tost will continue to support the team as a consultant, and he received a special gift from Mark Mateschitz, the son of Red Bull’s founder, as he leaves his Team Principal role. In the future, he will receive a complete car as a token of appreciation.
