09 Feb 2024 at 08:21
Red Bull’s sister team presented the VCARB 01 on Thursday evening (local time) in Las Vegas, the car with which it will participate in Formula 1 this year as ‘Visa Cash App RB’. The new weapon of the former AlphaTauri is not an outright copy of the successful RB19.
There were expectations that Racing Bulls, as the team is listed on the formal entry list, would appear at the start with a clone of Max Verstappen’s success car. That is not the case, the car is clearly a further development of the own AT04 of 2023.
There are the necessary rules that require a team to develop its own car, but the VCARB 01 borrows a lot of technology from Red Bull Racing and is also powered by the Honda engine. CEO Helmut Marko stated last year that the not very successful AlphaTauri should technically collaborate much more closely with Red Bull Racing. Coincidence or not, the new car now has one pullrod front suspension, with which Red Bull was a trendsetter.
Last year AlphaTauri used another one pushrod front suspension, in which a push rod runs from the top of the nose to the bottom of the hub. Bee pullrod the rod is the other way around, from the top of the hub to the bottom of the nose. This solution has aerodynamic advantages (less obstruction of the airflow under the car) but is mechanically more complex.
Foto: Red Bull
The car still looks a lot like its predecessor
Furthermore, the car still looks quite similar to the latest version of the AT04, as it was used in the final races of 2023. The sidepods still have virtually the same shape, although the air intakes in the sidepods for engine cooling have moved more to a Red Bull-like design. Last year, AlphaTauri raced with a more Ferrari-like design of these intakes.
Visa Cash App RB’s new color scheme is reminiscent of the team’s past life. In 2019, the then Toro Rosso also raced in blue and red. After four years of white and blue under the AlphaTauri flag, the team is now back in blue and red. In contrast to the previously presented Sauber and Alpine, there is actually a lot of paint on the car, while the other teams leave many parts of the car unpainted to save weight.
Foto: Red Bull
Ricciardo and Tsunoda behind the wheel
The Racing Bulls team will run in 2024 with the driver duo with which it closed 2023. Daniel Ricciardo (34) and Yuki Tsunoda (23) drive the cars, with Liam Lawson (21) as reserve. Last year, Nyck de Vries also drove ten races for the team, but the Dutchman focuses on the electric Formula E and the WEC championship with Toyota.
Formula 1 starts on February 21 in Bahrain with the three-day preparation. The first Grand Prix of the season will also be held in Bahrain on March 2. Reigning champion Verstappen’s new Red Bull will be unveiled on February 15.
2024-02-09 07:21:31
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