New car presentations: Visa VCARB 01

Visa Cash App RB is the fourth iteration of the team founded by Giancarlo Minardi in the last century. It was later led by Australian businessman Paul Stoddart and has been owned by Red Bull since 2006.

The longest and most successful period was when the team was called Toro Rosso – in 2008 the young Sebastian Vettel won in the rain in Monza, Daniil Kvyat and Pierre Gasly were on the podium. After being renamed AlphaTauri, Gasly also won at Monza and stood on the podium in Baku. Two wins in the team’s 39-year existence.

The team will start the 2024 season with the unpronounceable name Visa Cash App RB, which everyone will eventually abbreviate to RB, and new management – the retired Franz Tost was replaced by Laurent Mekies and Peter Bayer, and model numbering started again – the new car became called VCARB 01.

Team director Peter Bayer told how such a strange name was born…

Peter Bayer: “Since the beginning of last year we have been talking about how we want to get closer to Red Bull. Someone at the company suggested, ‘Why don’t we call these guys Racing Bulls so they have an identity to fall back on when sponsors change.

We had to change everything: the company name, many details, including the tax authorities, so it was quite difficult, but in the end it all worked out fine. The RB in the name symbolizes Red Bull, and Visa and Cash App are strong brands.

Yes, I haven’t heard many people pronounce the full name Aston Martin – Aston Martin Aramco Cowlant Formula 1 Team, I haven’t heard Haas called Moneygram Haas. But that is not it. We have to remain realistic and focus on creating a beautiful and fast car.”

The new car, or rather the livery, was presented at a night event in Las Vegas with the participation of invited stars, guests and selected press, but was not shown to the fans – everyone else saw only computer renderings and a pre-shot video.

Externally, the new color scheme resembles that of the Toro Rosso era. When working on VCARB 01, the engineers tried to use all Red Bull Racing solutions allowed by regulations, including the front and rear suspension, which should increase competitiveness. In many ways this is last year’s Red Bull Racing car, apart from the parts that each team has to develop independently.

Photo gallery: Presentation of Visa VCARB 01

The driver line-up has not changed: Daniel Ricciardo and Yuki Tsunoda will take the wheel and Liam Lawson will become a joint reserve driver at Red Bull Racing.

Daniel Ricciardo: “A lot is changing within the team now, but this is not just a phase of transformation. We are becoming more than just a Red Bull youth team and that is very important.

Many new employees and several major partners came to us. The team has always taken itself seriously, but I feel like we have now taken another step forward. We are no longer just a platform for Red Bull Racing – it’s time for us to fight for the middle group.

It would be great to be on the podium again, but let’s put it this way: if I only have one podium in the season and finish tenth in all the other races, that’s not what I want. In this case I would prefer to have many fifth places without podiums. I want to fight consistently at the front, like I did in my second season at Renault in 2020, which people are already starting to forget.

Last week I worked on the simulator for two days and then worked another day on Monday after the shooting day in Misano. It was great to be behind the wheel again, I missed it. People might think that at this stage of my career I don’t worry about things like that, but I actually enjoy everything. This feeling is important to me and gives me the motivation to give the best of myself.”

Yuki Tsunoda: “The team is not entirely satisfied with the performance of the past two years. In 2023, in the second half of the season, we were able to give our opponents a fight, but in the first races we had serious problems.

We hope to fight for better results from the start of the season this year. The team is hungry for results and that is positive. The team had a competitive car in 2021 and we must repeat those results this season. We are accompanied by employees with extensive experience. I expect that by working with them I can make further progress, gain new knowledge from them and become a better person.

Alan Permain became champion at Renault – he has a special way of thinking that the team needs. We don’t just aim to finish in the top ten. I hope one day we can fight with Red Bull Racing. I think we will succeed.

Laurent Mekies encourages us to be realistic, so in the first few races our main task is to adapt the new employees to the team. First you need to lay a strong foundation for the future. I hope the car will be fast, but I have no particular expectations for the first races of the season.”

Technical characteristics of VCARB 01

Official name: VCARB 01

Engine: HondaRBPTH002

Chassis: monocoque made of composite materials

Front suspension: wishbones made of composite materials that work together with steering rods, struts, torsion springs and shock absorbers. Developed by Red Bull Technology.

Rear suspension: wishbones made of composite materials that work together with torsion springs and shock absorbers. Developed by Red Bull Technology.

Air ducts for brakes: Front and back are designed by Visa Cash App RB.

To steer: with amplifier, developed by Red Bull Technology.

Transfer: 8 gears, hydraulically controlled, longitudinally mounted, in a composite housing. Developed by Red Bull Technology.

Differential: multi-disc, hydraulically controlled.

Clutch: multi-disc, hydraulically controlled.

Exhaust system: RBPT

Brake system: development of Visa Cash App RB in collaboration with Red Bull Technology.

Racer chair: made of composite materials, developed by Visa Cash App RB.

Tyres: Pirelli.

Fuel system: developed by Visa Cash App RB

Total weight: 798 kg.

Source: F1 News

Related articles

Comments

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

Share article

Latest articles

Newsletter

Subscribe to stay updated.