What is Franz Tost’s net worth and personal life story? Is he retired from Formula 1?

What is Franz Tost’s net worth and personal life story? Is he retired from Formula 1?

Ciku Njuguna
updated at May 8, 2024 at 8:57 AM

Only one team principal has had the longest tenure after Christian Horner, Franz Tost. Since the 1970s, Franz Tost has been actively involved in racing, first as a driver and later as the Scuderia AlphaTauri Formula One team principal. Dig in and discover every bit about Franz Tost's net worth, achievements, and family life.

Franz Tost's net worth
Former Toro Rosso team principal Franz Tost looks on during practice for the South Korea Grand Prix at Korea International Circuit on October 14, 2011. Photo by Vladimir Rys Photography.
Source: Getty Images

Table of Сontents:

What happened to Franz Tost? Regarded as the F1 champion launcher, he achieved significant success as a team chief before his recent retirement announcement. Sports Brief has compiled information on Franz Tost's net worth and financial portfolio using data from the Sun and other publicly available sources.

Franz Tost's profile summary

Full name

Franz Tost

Date of birth

January 20, 1956

Age

68 years as of May 2024

Place of birth

Trins, Tirol, Austria

Nationality

Austrian

Relationship status

Married

Spouse

Unnamed

Education

University of Innsbruck, University of Vienna

Profession

Former team principal, manager and race car driver

Active years driving

1983 - 1985

Team(s)

Ralt RT3

Active years in management

1985 - 2024

Team(s)

Willi Weber’s Formula 3, Walter Lechner Racing, Williams Racing, Scuderia AlphaTauri

Net worth

$1 million - $5 million

How much is Franz Tost's net worth?

During Franz's tenure, Red Bull’s AlphaTauri was valued at $1.125 billion, ranking seventh among the most valuable Formula One teams of 2023. According to Forbes, AlphaTauri’s estimated revenue in 2023 was $260 million.

Biography facts about Franz Tost
Franz Tost pictured during Scuderia AlphaTauri's practice for Spain's Grand Prix at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya on May 07, 2021, in Barcelona, Spain. Photo by Peter Fox.
Source: Original

Before his retirement, Tost was one of the richest team principals in F1. According to the Sun, Franz Tost’s net worth, as of May 2024, is $5.12 million. Various sources, such as FirstSportz, report similar amounts ($5 million). However, lower amounts of about $1.5 million have been published.

How much did Franz Tost earn?

Before his retirement, the former AlphaTauri chief was one of the highest-paid F1 principals in the circuit. Franz Tost's annual salary is estimated to be about $1 million.

Franz Tost's biography

Tost was born in the Trins, Tirol, in Austria. Details of his parentage, siblings, and childhood remain unknown to the public.

What is Franz Tost's age?

The former Toro Rosso team chief was born on January 20, 1956, and is 68 years old as of March 2024. His zodiac sign is Aquarius.

Franz Tost's net worth
Franz Tost looks on during the Sprint Shootout ahead of the United States F1 Grand Prix at Circuit of The Americas on October 21, 2023. Photo by Rudy Carezzevoli.
Source: Getty Images

Who is Franz Tost's wife?

Despite spending over two decades in the limelight, Franz has maintained an air of secrecy in his private life. The mystery of his wife's name, age, and occupation has yet to be discovered.

Does Franz Tost have children?

The veteran Formula One manager does not have children. In an interview with Formel1.de, he elaborated on his unique family choice, saying,

"No, I do not have children. I told my wife from the start that I did not want children because I did not have time for them. For me, it is not about the family because the only thing that interests me is the job. That is why I made it clear straight away that I did not want children. I wanted to remain flexible.
"If I look back on it now, my professional life with a family would not have been possible. For me, the absolute priority was motorsport. Bringing children into the world knowing that I do not have time for them has limited me."
What is Franz Tost’s net worth?
Scuderia AlphaTauri's Pierre Gasly (l) and Franz Tost (r) speak during practice for the Spain Grand Prix at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya on May 07, 2021, in Barcelona, Spain. Photo by Peter Fox.
Source: Getty Images

Education

In 1982, he completed a Sports Science and Economics degree at the University of Innsbruck, Austria. According to SalRacing, he then attended the University of Vienna, where he studied Sports Management.

Career

Before joining race management circles, he was an aspiring driver. Here is a career summary of the manager behind World Champions such as Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen.

Driving career

His interest in racing began at school and during discussions with friends. The appeal in motorsports was further fueled by live broadcasts of races.

Between 1983 and 1985, he drove for Ralt RT3 in Formula 3. In 1983, he won the Austrian Formula Ford 1600 Champion. When asked if he would have continued driving if he had a better sponsor, he told Tom Clarkson of Beyond The Grid, the official F1 podcast,

"I do not think so. I was a learner. After 100,000 laps, I was fast, but you must be immediately fast to be a successful professional driver."
Franz Tost's net worth
Franz Tost pictured during a practice session ahead of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix at Yas Marina Circuit on November 24, 2023. Photo by Qian Jun/MB Media/Getty Images.
Source: Getty Images

Management career

How long has Franz Tost been in F1? In 2023, the checkered flag was waved on his career, marking the end of nearly two decades in Formula 1 team management. Take a look at this short brief on his career trajectory from driver to top boss at Red Bull’s Alphatauri.

When did Franz Tost join Formula One?

After finishing his university studies, Franz began working as an instructor at the Walter Lechner Racing School, where he worked with Austrian driver Roland Ratzenberger. Later, he managed the Walter Lechner Racing Team in Formula Ford and Formula 3.

He later joined the EUFRA Racing Team, where he began his team-managing career. He also built a Formula Three race car for the team alongside EUFRA engineers. Later, he managed Willi Weber’s Formula 3 team, focusing on developing Michael and Ralf Schummacher's driving talent. In 2000, he joined the BMW Williams Formula 1 team as a race track operation manager.

The end of his six-year tenure at BMW marked the start of nearly two decades at the helm of Red Bull's Toro Rosso. Until December 2023, he stood out for training new talent and developing seventeen drivers at the Red Bull Training School. These include Carlos Sainz, Pierre Gasly, Daniel Ricciardo, and Yuki Tsunoda. Here is a summary of his performance record at AlphaTauri.

Franz Tost (l), speaks to drivers.
AlphaTauri's former team principal, Franz Tost (l), speaks to drivers during previews for the Abu Dhabi Formula One Grand Prix at Yas Marina Circuit on November 26, 2015. Photo by Clive Mason.
Source: Getty Images

Appointment at Red Bull

2005

Seasons

18

Races

351

Podiums

5

Victories

2

Points

809

Trained drivers

17

Retirement

2024

Why did Franz Tost leave AlphaTauri?

Franz Tost's retirement came on December 31, 2023. Speaking to Tom Clarkson on Beyond the Grid, he talked about his preparation for retirement, saying,

"These 18 years were interesting. Two years ago, I told Dietrich Mateschitz and Helmut Marko that I would not be here anymore at 70. When I was younger, I always said that I would not be glued to the seat if I were in a responsible position. This is the correct time to hand over the team to younger people; to very well-experienced people, they will bring the team to another level."
Franz Tost (l), is given a guard of honour
AlphaTauri's retired team principal, Franz Tost (l), receives a guard of honour during his final race at the Abu Dhabi F1 Grand Prix at Yas Marina Circuit on November 26, 2023. Photo by Peter Fox.
Source: Getty Images

Quick trivia

For 18 years, one man has been behind World Champions such as Vettel and Verstappen. In addition to facts about Franz Tost’s net worth, here are more details about his personal and professional life.

1. When did Franz Tost become team principal?

In 2005, he became Toro Rosso's new team principal. The team debuted during the 2006 Bahrain Formula One Grand Prix and won its first Grand Prix victory in Italy in 2008.

2. Who is replacing Franz Tost?

Towards the end of 2023, Alphatauri announced Franz Tost's replacement. Laurent Mekies, the new boss of AlphaTauri, was the assistant team principal and race director at the Scuderia Ferrari Formula 1 team.

3. Where is Franz Tost going?

Speaking to the official Formula One podcast, the racing veteran listed his retirement to-do list. He lightly touched on offers to collaborate with unnamed companies. In his to-do list, the veteran team manager expressed the desire to spend his retirement skiing, mountain climbing, racing, and watching Formula One races.

Franz Tost's net worth
Franz Tost (r) greets fans before final practice for the Australia Grand Prix at Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit on March 16, 2019, in Melbourne, Australia. Photo by Peter Fox.
Source: Getty Images

Final word

For over four decades, Franz's experience as a driver, manager, and team chief made him one of the most treasured resources in the world of international racing. Franz Tost’s net worth also makes him one of the wealthiest team principals.

READ ALSO: How much do Formula 2 drivers make on average? All the facts and details

Sports Brief has published an article about Formula 2 drivers' salaries. Motorsports is one of the most expensive sports, with drivers taking home the lion's share of the team wage cap. Click on the link above to discover how much F2 drivers take home monthly and annually.

Authors
Ciku Njuguna photo
Ciku Njuguna
Ciku Njuguna is a journalist with 3 year’s experience in content creation based in Kenya. She currently covers sports personnel as well as team biographies.