AlphaTauri team principal Franz Tost has issued a defiant statement in response to rumours that the Red Bull-owned outfit is for sale.
Rumours the Red Bull sister team will be sold have long been swirling in the F1 paddock.
But these rumours ramped up significantly last week with reports suggesting the new head of sports in the Red Bull Group, Oliver Mintzlaff, was keen to sell up.
With Andretti Global and F2/F3 team Hitech attempting to join the F1 grid, the opportunity to purchase an existing team would have represented a far better value-for-money option than starting a team from scratch.
But Tost has now confirmed this option is not on the table, stating categorically that AlphaTauri is not for sale.
"I had some very good meetings with Oliver Mintzlaff, who confirmed that the shareholders will not sell Scuderia AlphaTauri, and that Red Bull will continue supporting the team in the future," said Tost.
"All these rumours have no foundation, and the team has to remain focused for the start of the season to perform better than last year.”