“Aliexpress knockoff is probably better quality” – Fans disappointed with Red Bull’s latest merchandise by UK brand Castore
Max Verstappen's official store introduced the 2023 merch designs by Castore and fans are not happy.
Merchandise is a major aspect of Formula 1. Millions of fans buy an official driver or team merch every year in a bid to feel a part of their favorite team. Merch gives fans a sense of belonging and is an expression of their passion for F1. Correspondingly, merch sales are a major part of any team’s revenue, especially the top teams. Thus, Red Bull Racing is no different. Accordingly, before the oncoming season, the Austrian team revealed its new merch for fans.
However, for 2023, Red Bull has switched its official partner. Previously the team had a deal with Puma for such official team wear, but now it will be UK brand Castore that will join the Milton-Keynes team. Interestingly, Castore is also the official supplier for McLaren racing. Although, fans have not been satisfied about McLaren’s merch under this British brand on several occasions. As such, pressure will be high on Castore to deliver this time around.
Unfortunately, things seem to be grim. Max Verstappen‘s official store has posted its latest designs under this new partnership. The new merch appears to be minimalistic to say the least. The current designs consist of a collection of plain T-shirts in a few colors. Though, the only piece of design on these tees is a giant Oracle Red Bull Racing logo. Subsequently, doubts over quality control still remain.
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Fans are not impressed by the new Red Bull Castore merch
After these Red Bull designs were posted on Reddit, fans were quick to express their disappointment. One user stated their views on these simple designs and swiftly decided to stay away. The user said, “Basic and uninspired, and — to add injury to insult — made by Castore? Hard pass.” Whereas another fan mentioned how Castore’s awful reputation will make them avoid this merch line. The fan said, “Okay so i will be ordering from Aliexpress if I want a higher quality version gotcha.”
This negative opinion continued, as fans complained about these designs. One user wrote, “Is it Red Bull merch or ORACLE merch?” A reference to the huge Oracle logo on the T-shirts. Interestingly one fan pointed out the Red T-shirt in this collection and wrote, “A red coloured red bull t shirt…daring today aren’t we?” Certainly a design that will not be liked by Scuderia Ferrari fans in the paddock.
Ever since Red Bull’s partnership with Castore seemed on the horizon, fans were expecting this day to come. Thus, now many fans of the Austrian team might be forced to avoid buying their team’s merch due to the quality. Of course, people spend their hard-earned money on F1 merch and should get their money’s worth. Although, for now it might be too early to tell. Hence, fans will have to wait and see whether Castore can impress them with their merch quality once it starts deliveries.
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Armaan Agarwal
(2310 Articles Published)