Yes, the title is correct. Visa Cash App RB F1 Team, previously known as AlphaTauri, is set for their new era in Formula 1. It’s yet another rebrand for Red Bull Racing’s B-team, which has found itself up and down the leaderboards over the past few years.
The internet will likely have a field day coming up with jokes about the new branding. Performance is the only thing that matters, however. And despite finishing 8th in last year’s team standings, VCA finds themselves in a rather positive position
For many years now, VCA has been looked at as nothing more than the minions to Red Bull Racing. The team often takes on young drivers who develop through the Red Bull Junior Team, or drivers who have been unable to meet the expectations of being in a Red Bull Racing seat.
Being under the umbrella of Red Bull Racing has its pros and cons, however 2024’s outlook features more pros than one would typically expect for VCA.
Making Something Out Of Nothing
It all starts with the car performance. 2023 was a struggle out of the gates for the team. Nyck De Vries, in his first F1 season, didn’t even make it halfway through the season before being replaced. The other driver was Yuki Tsunoda. Despite performing well in his previous two seasons, Tsunoda didn’t perform much better than his rookie teammate. It was clear that the car was severely falling behind the competition.
But if there was any theme to take away from the 2023 F1 season, it’s that legitimate pace can be only a couple upgrades away. For the back end of the season, new life was given to the team as the car was suddenly a consistent top 10 car.
Tsunoda was recovering from a down start. Daniel Ricciardo, in his return to F1, looked like he was back in his prime. And for the five races that Ricciardo was out due to an injury, rookie Liam Lawson looked unphased and F1 ready.
It was an encouraging end-of-year turnaround that leaves the team with shocking optimism going into 2024. They have plenty of tools at their disposal.
Tools to Play With
Tsunoda and Ricciardo get the nod going into the season. However, if one driver underperforms, they know they have Liam Lawson waiting in the wings. And if the car performance at the end of the year is any indication, they can expect a much better starting point than they have had in the past couple seasons.
VCA may never be looked at as anything more than Red Bull’s B-team. Nonetheless, they’re doing a good job at being it. 2024 is on track to be the best year for the team since 2021.
For now, the biggest question they face is what in the world people are supposed to call them.
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- Source: https://thegamehaus.com/sports/2024-f1-season-preview-visa-cash-app-rb/2024/01/26/
