Ferrari's sporting director Laurent Mekies looks set to return to Faenza.

The 45-year-old Frenchman worked initially for Minardi, which became Red Bull's second Formula 1 team - where Mekies worked in prominent technical roles before he was poached by Ferrari in 2014.

Now, according to Italy's La Gazzetta dello Sport, Mekies is returning from Maranello to Faenza-based Alpha Tauri - just as rumours swirl that long-time team boss Franz Tost, 67, could be replaced.

Mekies "has already signed on and could move this year", correspondent Luigi Perna said. "Will he be the team principal after Tost?

"It was no secret that Mekies wanted to leave Ferrari," he added. "The arrival of new team principal Frederic Vasseur, with whom he attended college, did not change the situation."

Perna said Mekies could make the move in 2023 if Ferrari and Alpha Tauri agree, "otherwise it will be 2024".

"Tost recently expressed his intention to leave F1 within three years, so it could be an opportunity for Mekies to take command of the team in 2026." body check tags ::