The Visa Cash App Red Bull Formula 1 has the sound of a multiverse’s imagined answer to a query. However, we kind of enjoy how its abbreviation, VCARB, sounds like a performance test (VMax, VO2) or a blood panel finding (lipids, cholesterol, VCARBs). The VCARB team, which was formerly known as Alpha Tauri and Toro Rosso, unveiled the VCARB 01, their debut vehicle, today in Las Vegas.
Everyone has noticed that it looks a lot like Red Bull’s championship-winning RB19 from the previous year, particularly in the sidepods. “Calling the new VCARB-01 a clone of the RB19 may be considered an understatement,” according to Racing News 365, pointing out that every component of the suspension, including the rear gearbox connections and pull-rods, was copied from the senior Red Bull vehicle. Underlying the claim is a question of how far Red Bull will push the RB20 if this is the extent to which the junior squad pushed Red Bull in the previous year?
Secondly, everyone has commented on how amazing the colour is. The VCARB 01 will be like Rio’s Carnival at 200 kilometres per hour; Alpha Tauri’s blue and white motif made it simple to detect last year. Both beneficial to them and to us. Similar to the FW46 of Williams F1, certain hues have historical significance; these specific tones of blue and silver pay homage to Toro Rosso.
VCARB hopes to dispel the idea that it couldn’t live up to its promise with a new name, greater funding, and executives in all important roles. “There are only 10 Formula 1 teams in the world, and people definitely know that we are one of them,” declared CEO Peter Bayer, who succeeded longstanding CEO Franz Tost. With everything we are doing to forge a distinct identity, I have no doubt that we will soon be known as VCARB and recognised as one of the teams with a strong roster and desire to contend for the top spot in the midfield on the grid.”
Only once in the last five years has the team been higher than eighth in the Constructor’s Championship; that was in 2020, when it took sixth place. As Red Bull, Mercedes, and Ferrari lead the series, and with McLaren’s recent ascent, finishing at the top of the midfield would mean finishing fourth or fifth, a position the team has never held.
When testing gets underway in approximately 12 days, we’ll start to see some of the outcomes of the team shuffle at Faenza, Italy.