Red Bull Junior F1 Team Explains Real Reason For Identity Change

Saajan Jogia | 5 Hours Ago

Oct 20, 2024; Austin, Texas, USA; Visa Cash App RB Formula One Team driver Yuki Tsunoda (22) of Team Japan drives during the 2024 Formula One US Grand Prix at Circuit of the Americas. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images / Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

The CEO of Visa Cash App RB, Peter Bayer, has explained the real reason behind the team's rebranding last season. Red Bull's junior F1 team, formerly AlphaTauri, changed its name ahead of the 2024 season. Now though, the team has clarified the meaning behind "RB," giving it a unified identity for fans to associate with.

The team rebranded to Visa CashApp RB after securing two major sponsors, Visa and CashApp last year. The new name, along with the chassis title "Racing Bulls," resulted in people calling the team by the name VCARB, and eventually shortening it to RB.

However, Bayer addressed the need to simplify the name after the rebranding, eventually leading the team to clarify the RB part after it noticed confusion among fans and team partners. Speaking to RacingNews365, he said:

"The RB thing was trying to simplify it, trying to be a bit more, I don't know, streamlined.

"Like people said, it was a bit of a mouthful, but at the same time, we liked the logo, and we said, 'You know what. Let's go with it', because we were under quite some time pressure to get everything ready.

"We had to register with the FIA. We had to register the chassis name for the entry list.

"Honestly, there was not too much strategic thinking behind it. It was more of a practical exercise. Okay, we've got a team, we've got Visa, we've got CashApp, we've got Racing Bulls, let's find a way of moving forward.

"Now, what happened throughout the year is that we saw fans, team members, and other partners struggling with the RB.

"Because RB was the chassis name, people would hear on television, RB is doing this, RB is doing that. I guess, as a human being, it's difficult to connect to something if there's no meaning behind it.

"That, ultimately, was the sort of triggering element where we said, 'Okay, we've got to tell people what RB stands for, to go back to the beginning and confirm that Racing Bulls is what RB stands for."

Being linked to Red Bull, Bayer found it all the more necessary to highlight what RB stood for in the name, especially to parties directly connected with the team. He added:

"It does happen regularly.

"It was all about finding an identity for us, the partners, the media, and the fans, first and foremost.

"Racing Bulls fits perfectly into the overall Red Bull philosophy. They have the Flying Bulls, the airplane collection, and now they've got the Racing Bulls.

"It was always clear this team needs to stand on its own two feet. We need to be successful on track, off track, and to be that, we need an identity."