Reportedly, Visa RB will receive the rear suspension and gearbox of the Red Bull RB20 during the race weekend in Las Vegas. This is expected to make the team approximately a tenth of a second faster per lap. The Italian racing team is vying for sixth place in the championship. While Visa RB performed relatively well in the first half of the season, the development of the VCARB 01 has stagnated.
The usually well-informed Formu1a.uno reports that Visa RB will use the gearbox and rear suspension of the RB20 during the upcoming GP in Las Vegas. Teams are allowed to share such components among themselves. The Italian medium also speaks of ‘correlation problems’ that have negatively affected the operation of certain upgrades to the VCARB 01. As a result, the team has fallen behind in the development battle with rivals Haas and Alpine. The new parts from Red Bull are expected to make up for this deficit.
A Tenth per Lap
In 2023, parts from Red Bull were already transferred to the then AlphaTauri AT04. These upgrades were implemented during the GP in Singapore. However, this year the team in Faenza had to wait longer for the parts, precisely because both teams are struggling with so many correlation problems. The demonstrable improvements in the wind tunnel have not always translated into better performance on the track in recent months.
Moreover, the setup of Red Bull’s suspension is much more sensitive than last year. This is especially true for a team like Visa RB, which only inherits the parts – the knowledge about the development of these upgrades is lacking. Nevertheless, it is expected that the new gearbox and rear suspension can yield about a tenth per lap.
Visa RB is currently in eighth place in the championship with forty-four points. Thanks in part to the double podium in São Paulo, rival Alpine has climbed to sixth place with a total of forty-nine points. Haas – which has scored forty-six points so far – is in seventh place. With three races left on the calendar, including the sprint weekend in Qatar, a fierce battle is expected to erupt in the so-called midfield.
