Tost was the Toro Rosso boss i✤n 2012 when the highly-touted Ricciardo arrived as a young driver.

They then met again last season at AlphaTauri, a move which reinvigorat🧸ed Ricciardo’s career, before Tost waved goodbye to F1 and retired at the end of the yea🦋r.

Ricciar🎐do insisted the sport would miss the veteran Tost: “I’d say tremendously. 

“I think for the team, he’s be🐽en everything, obviously starting off in the Toro ꧒Rosso days, or my first full season in F1.

“I remember quite vividly♏ the first meeting I had i♛n his office and I kind of bounced in with a smile. 

“I th꧃ink he looked aꦬt me like… He tried to prepare me for what’s ahead.

“It’s a serious sport and it’s a tough old world.

“I think he was very honest with me as well, but💫 it made me… 

“A little bit the same a♔s with [Red Bull advisor] Helmut [Marko], it kind of made me mature a little quicker and ultimately grow up.

“🌌I think Franz has always been really involved. 

“He’s in every debrief, he’ll normally speak as 𝐆well in debriefs and give some analysis or advice or anything he’s seen. 

“He’s fully involved in it and it's his passion.

“It’s been eve🐈rything that’s kind of given him drive for so many years. 

“I hope he can enjoy putting his feet up a 𝕴little bit next year. 

“I’m not sure fully what that’s going to entail for him, but I really ๊hope he’s a🏅ble to enjoy some R&R.”

Tost had a helping hand in developing Red Bull drive🌌rs Ricciardo, Max Verstappen, Sebastian Vettel and Pierre Gasly.

Gasly’s only F1 gr𒉰and prix victory was four years ago in Italy, as an AlphaTauri driver under Tost’s leadership.

“He’s played a huge part in my career,”⭕ said Gasly. 

“I ended up spending five years being his driver so we built a very str💜ong bond. 

Heꦏ’s quite a unique character,🐎 he’s got his own personality, but his love and passion for F1 and motorsport is pretty much unmatched.

“He’🌟s been definitely very v🍌aluable in my career just in the support that he brought. 

“He brought me the self-reflection in being quite objective and always try෴ing to dig inside his driver and try and get more, extra💖ct more out of them. 

“I’ve al☂ways had a very good personal connection [with h♋im].

“I did♛ wish him already all the best for his future. 

“I know what he’s going to be u🌊p to, he’s always been talking abo▨ut skiing and going in the mountains. 

“He’s seen race tracks for꧃ his entire career and I think it’s a great opportunity for him to enj♕oy his off-track life.”

Tost, aged 67, was in charge of Toro Rওosso a𝔉nd AlphaTauri for 18 years.

Laurent 🐷Mekies has arrived this year from Ferrari🌊 as AlphaTauri’s new team principal.