F1 boss praises RESILIENCE of his team following 'intense' off-season

Daniel Ricciardo during the F1 Testweek — Photo: © IMAGO

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F1 boss praises RESILIENCE of his team following 'intense' off-season

RB team principal Peter Bayer has praised the job his team has done after a gruelling off-season which saw the team undergo a rebranding

GPFans Staff

Friday 23 February 2024 22:20 Updated: 13:53

Peter Bayer has heaped praise on his RB team has done after a promising start to pre-season testing.

After four years of being known as AlphaTauri, the Red Bull sister team, formally known as Minardi, was rebranded to RB after gaining sponsorship from payment card giant VISA and mobile payment service Cash App.

RB also gained sponsorship from fashion company Hugo Boss through its Huge brand and watch company Tudor. The team’s technical department was also reshuffled over the winter of 2024, with former Ferrari racing director Laurent Mekies replacing the legendary Franz Tost as team principal.

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Former Alpine sporting director Alan Permane joins the team as RB’s sporting director, with former McLaren race engineer Tim Goss appointed RB’s chief technical officer.

Peter Bayer and Laurent Mekies have previously held roles at the FIA before being signed to RB

The VCARB-01 is one of the more colourful cars on the 2024 Formula 1 grid

Bayer: The team has done an amazing effort

RB has taken inspiration from Red Bull’s 2023 all-conquering RB19 and will switch to a pull-rod front suspension, which the team used to their advantage on their way to both the Drivers' and Constructors' titles.

Daniel Ricciardo has plenty to smile about heading into the 2024 season

"The team has done an amazing effort,” said Bayer. “We had a very intense pre-season with the rebranding and getting everything right.

"To finally be here at [the] track is really what we’ve all been waiting for. Yesterday went quite well. We went out, we had no big issues. The car was ready, so the team has done an amazing job.

"Both Daniel and Yuki felt well in the car and didn’t report any major issues."

Daniel Ricciardo Yuki Tsunoda British Grand Prix Nyck de Vries Laurent Mekies Peter Bayer