Photo: RB/autoevolution
The number of F1 teams that come out with lackluster liveries is staggering. This has been somewhat of a problem these past few years. However, for this upcoming season, we’re expecting quite a few teams to showcase fresh new high-contrast liveries, and we already like what Alpine and Haas have shown us. The thing is, we like this RB VCARB 01 even more.
RB, formerly known as AlphaTauri, unveiled its 2024 F1 car just a few hours ago in Las Vegas, featuring a sparkling blue and white livery (with some black) to reflect the team’s new colors and identity.
In attendance were Visa Cash App CEO Peter Bayer and RB CEO and team principal Laurent Mekies, alongside drivers Daniel Ricciardo and Yuki Tsunoda.
Aside from Visa and Cash App, there are loads of new sponsors on this car, some of them coming over from Alfa Romeo – like Orlen. We also note the presence of luxury watchmaker Tudor on the car, the company’s first-ever Formula 1 sponsorship deal.
The blue, black and white livery looks stunning, and the way the colors are spaced out, it kind of reminds me of Jaques Villeneuve’s championship-winning Williams Renault from 1997, one of F1’s most iconic cars, and dare I say, Top 3 best-looking cars too, livery-wise. The design team clearly knew what they were doing, especially on the contrast side where the white and red accents work really well together with all that blue.
In terms of technology, the so-called VCARB 01 takes after it’s Red Bull “big brother”, running the latter’s rear suspension from last year, while also switching to a pull-rod front suspension. We can still see plenty of design elements from last year’s AlphaTauri AT04, but with different sidepod inlets.
If I had to sum this car up briefly, I might say that it’s very RB18-like, the latter being Red Bull’s car from the 2022 Formula 1 season.
“You have to aim high, but being in this sport so long, you want to remain realistic as you don’t want to end up ultimately disappointed,” said Daniel Ricciardo when asked about expectations for this season.
“Top-fives should be a target and if we get into that position, maybe some podiums present themselves. Of course, we want to win but, you know, let’s... I think we made steps last year, let’s make a few more steps. Do I think top-five results are on the table – and could they be on the table in the first half of the season? I’d like to think so.”
I don’t know about top-five results, but on paper, this car should be clearly superior to last year’s AlphaTauri AT04, which finished the season with just 25 points, three points shy of seventh-place Williams-Mercedes.
In attendance were Visa Cash App CEO Peter Bayer and RB CEO and team principal Laurent Mekies, alongside drivers Daniel Ricciardo and Yuki Tsunoda.
Aside from Visa and Cash App, there are loads of new sponsors on this car, some of them coming over from Alfa Romeo – like Orlen. We also note the presence of luxury watchmaker Tudor on the car, the company’s first-ever Formula 1 sponsorship deal.
The blue, black and white livery looks stunning, and the way the colors are spaced out, it kind of reminds me of Jaques Villeneuve’s championship-winning Williams Renault from 1997, one of F1’s most iconic cars, and dare I say, Top 3 best-looking cars too, livery-wise. The design team clearly knew what they were doing, especially on the contrast side where the white and red accents work really well together with all that blue.
In terms of technology, the so-called VCARB 01 takes after it’s Red Bull “big brother”, running the latter’s rear suspension from last year, while also switching to a pull-rod front suspension. We can still see plenty of design elements from last year’s AlphaTauri AT04, but with different sidepod inlets.
If I had to sum this car up briefly, I might say that it’s very RB18-like, the latter being Red Bull’s car from the 2022 Formula 1 season.
“You have to aim high, but being in this sport so long, you want to remain realistic as you don’t want to end up ultimately disappointed,” said Daniel Ricciardo when asked about expectations for this season.
“Top-fives should be a target and if we get into that position, maybe some podiums present themselves. Of course, we want to win but, you know, let’s... I think we made steps last year, let’s make a few more steps. Do I think top-five results are on the table – and could they be on the table in the first half of the season? I’d like to think so.”
I don’t know about top-five results, but on paper, this car should be clearly superior to last year’s AlphaTauri AT04, which finished the season with just 25 points, three points shy of seventh-place Williams-Mercedes.
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