VCARB team principal details the downside of their close ties with Red Bull

The principal of Racing Bulls acknowledged their close technical partnership with Red Bull.

VCARB team principal details the downside of their close ties with Red Bull

Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen (via IMAGO).

During the F1 winter break, VisaCashAppRB went through a lot of changes. From changing its name from AlphaTauri to shifting its base to Milton Keynes, where its sister team Red Bull is based. There were also changes with teams the new team principal Laurent Mekies, Tim Goss joined in the newly-created role of Chief Technical Officer and Alan Permane joined as Racing Director. 

Since the team will acquire the front and rear suspension and gearbox from Red Bull, they will also develop a closer relationship with them. The new VCARB 01 will contain a lot of Red Bull, according to team principal Laurent Mekies. Just what is permitted by the rules, though:

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The regulations outline precisely what needs to be built as a team. You have to build your car, aside from the engine, gearbox, and suspension.
Laurent Mekies said, as reported by formulapassion.in

Since Red Bull is the owner of both teams, it is given that it will have a huge influence on the team. According to the new team principal VSCARB, they have the advantage of working with the world champion team, of course, they will have to follow rules and share, but they also come with downsides and disadvantages. He mentioned,

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If you take someone else's gearbox, as many teams do, you have to wait until the team has designed the gearbox to understand where the suspension points will be, which in turn has a direct influence on aerodynamics.

VSCRB is considered to be a big competitor in the upcoming season

VSCRB being a competitor’s nightmare might come true. As a known fact that the previously known Alpha Tauri team will be relying on their sister team Red Bull for the upcoming 2024 season. It is pretty clear from the team’s driver’s (Daniel Ricciardo) determination that VSCRB will be looking forward to having a front seat in the upcoming season.  

Daniel Ricciardo and Yuki Tsunoda
Daniel Ricciardo and Yuki Tsunoda (via IMAGO)

The squad only needs to concentrate on the parts they have to make themselves because they will utilize the effective components from the RB19/RB20. They have already made significant progress in 2023 with that strategy. 

By 2024, they should have caught up even more. While the team’s main focus is on building a strong foundation by bringing in a lot of new team personnel, the other competitors are scared that the team might take advantage of Red Bull to get ahead this year. 

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