RB

Despite only joining the grid in 2024, the Visa Cash App RB Formula 1 team from Faenza, Italy, boasts a long and rich history in the premier class of motorsport.

The Legacy of Minardi

The team, which currently employs Daniel Ricciardo (who replaced Nyck de Vries from the 2023 Hungarian Grand Prix) and Yuki Tsunoda, has been active in Formula 1 since the 1980s. From 1985 to 2005, the team was known as Minardi, named after its founder, Gian Carlo Minardi. After years of struggling on the fringes, Minardi decided at the beginning of the century that he no longer wished to fight the annual battle to keep the team financially afloat. After 340 Grand Prix starts with a few fourth places as their best result, Minardi sold his stable to Paul Stoddart in 2001.

The Stoddart Era and Transition to Red Bull

The Australian took over with great enthusiasm. He gave drivers like Fernando Alonso and Mark Webber their debuts and was responsible for the ‘Double Dutch’ adventure of Christijan Albers and Robert Doornbos in 2005. This turned out to be Stoddart’s swan song, as he eagerly accepted an offer from Red Bull owner Dietrich Mateschitz at the end of 2005.

Sale to Red Bull

Mateschitz rebranded the team as Toro Rosso, positioning it as a breeding ground for young racing talent and a sister team to Red Bull Racing. Over the years, the small Italian team has nurtured talents such as Sebastian Vettel, Daniel Ricciardo, Max Verstappen, and Alex Albon, preparing them for the big leagues at Red Bull Racing. Besides its training function, Toro Rosso also played a crucial role in the development of Red Bull’s racing cars. From 2020, Toro Rosso was renamed Alpha Tauri. Thanks to AlphaTauri, Red Bull has the opportunity to test components and engine settings in practice and collect data without significant consequences. The name change was intended to promote Red Bull’s clothing brand.

Own Successes

Despite its supporting role, AlphaTauri – to be called Visa Cash App RB from 2024 – also has its own successes. While the team had a dry spell in the first twenty years of its existence, Sebastian Vettel caused a sensation in 2008. He won his very first Grand Prix (notably in Italy) in a Toro Rosso. Twelve years later, Pierre Gasly repeated this feat (also at Monza). Toro Rosso and AlphaTauri together competed in a total of 329 Grand Prix, collecting five podiums.

In 2023, however, the team was at the bottom of the F1 field. With Nyck de Vries and Yuki Tsunoda behind the wheel, the team struggled, although the Japanese driver occasionally scored points. Team boss Franz Tost was frustrated with the situation, and after ten races, De Vries was replaced by Ricciardo due to disappointing results. Thanks in part to Tsunoda, the team managed to earn a few points in the final races of the season, although it was not enough for a seventh place in the constructors’ championship.

New Phase

From 2024, the team will have a new name: Visa Cash App RB. Visa has signed a multi-year sponsorship deal with both AlphaTauri and Red Bull. The former AlphaTauri wants to mark the beginning of a new phase with this, says CEO Peter Bayer. Whether this will be a positive start to the new season remains to be seen.