A new name, a new car and a fresh livery – although the new launch time may not have done RB any favours
MATT KEW
Red Bull is a marketing colossus, and its junior Formula 1 team is embracing a new era under a new identity. But you weren’t to know that from last Friday’s launch of the daftly named VCARB 01. The unveiling was held on the Las Vegas Boulevard and featured American rap sensation Kendrick Lamar. It should’ve been spectacular. Instead, it passed with little fanfare.
Partly, that’s because the covers came off around 0630GMT. Although F1 doesn’t revolve around the UK and the series is targeting growth in the USA, the major audience remains hardcore fans based in Europe. They were neglected in favour of the 1000 who turned up in person. For those that did set an alarm, there was no livestream, little communication, no Q&A session with new team boss Laurent Mekies or CEO Peter Bayer. Considering the outfit formerly known as AlphaTauri now carries blue-chip sponsorship from Visa, Cash App and Hugo Boss – who will want a return on their investment – this felt like an opportunity missed.
While the preceding Sauber and Alpine events set the launch benchmark, neither of their cars can boast a livery like RB. The increasingly customary swathes of exposed carbon fibre on the main bodywork have been banished – at least in launch trim – in favour of a bold scheme that those commercial partners will instantly pick out on TV. Arguably, though, a throwback to a metallic blue-and-red paint job, as worn by the 2017-19 Toro Rosso challengers, undermines the rebrand that bit more.
This year more than most, RB is paying attention to what’s going on under the surface. Even if Red Bull CEO Oliver Mintzlaff has been distracted by developments among the leadership at his other F1 team recently, this marks the first full year when RB will operate under the restructure he called for. Following the 2022 death of company co-founder Dietrich Mateschitz, the team’s headquarters in Faenza has lost its gravitational pull. To save costs and improve performance, the RB operation will centralise in Bicester so it can lean on Red Bull’s technical resource. Given the team has undergone an identity crisis in recent years with it no longer being a clear training ground for young drivers, this more streamlined approached will make it more sustainable to justify an existence. It’s no longer sufficient to be a low
