Peter Bayer responds to criticism of Red Bull’s collaboration with Visa Cash App RB
Visa Cash App RB has strengthened its collaboration with Red Bull, with the aim of becoming more competitive. While this association has been criticized by other teams in the paddock, Peter Bayer, Executive Director of the Italian team, insists that his team is not copying the world champions.
The 2023 seasons of AlphaTauri, today Visa Cash App RB, and Red Bull have followed very different trajectories. The Austrian team won 21 out of the 22 Grand Prix on the calendar, whereas AlphaTauri managed to secure seventh place in the constructors’ standings by the end of the season.
During the year 2023, Helmut Marko and Christian Horner had publicly expressed their desire for the two teams to come even closer together. Both belonging to the brand of the Austrian bull beverage, it is easy for the Italian team to buy many components from the reigning world champion team, while staying within the rules.
AlphaTauri has become Visa Cash App RB and the team based in Faenza unveiled the VCARB 01 on February 9th. While the car is not an exact copy of the RB-19, it incorporates many elements from the latest championship-winning F1 car.
A concept different from Red Bull according to the FIA.
This rapprochement between the two teams does not please the other teams. The latter do not hesitate to criticize this collaboration, which they see as too close. However, Peter Bayer, executive director of the Italian team, argues that the collaboration with Red Bull is perfectly legal.
One of the first things you learn in F1 is that the easiest way to become unpopular is to succeed. As long as you are last, people won’t even notice you are there. As soon as you start knocking on the door, they will throw everything at you they can. I come from the FIA (former F1 Executive Director) and I know how closely all the teams are scrutinized, says Peter Bayer.
« It is certain that there is even more scrutiny when it comes to working more closely with each other. The rules are very clear. You may have seen the statement from the FIA, when they looked at our car, they said that it is a different concept. There is nothing that concerns us. It is important for us because we want to be tough but fair competitors. The other thing I keep saying is that if you look at last year’s World Championship standings, if you add the points of the last four teams, they have fewer points than the team in P6 (Alpine, NDLR), says the Austrian.
« So, what does this mean? It means that in the end, Formula 1 is a battle of resources and nowadays, also of efficiency. And I believe that the teams further down in the rankings need some support. It is mainly thanks to financial resources, and to supply chain elements that we are competitive, » Peter Bayer concludes.
Visa CashApp RB aims to climb the hierarchy this season after two difficult seasons under the name AlphaTauri.
