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‘Not appropriate’: Ricciardo’s team becomes laughing stock of F1 world after ‘ridiculous’ switch

Daniel Ricciardo’s team has become the laughing stock of the F1 world after a ‘ridiculous’ name change was confirmed overnight.

Daniel Nuttall with AFP
less than 2 min read
January 25, 2024 - 7:34AM
Daniel Ricciardo is now racing for Visa Cash App RB. (Photo by Joe Portlock/Getty Images)
Daniel Ricciardo is now racing for Visa Cash App RB. (Photo by Joe Portlock/Getty Images)

AlphaTauri is changing its name to Visa Cash App RB, the Formula 1 team announced on Wednesday ahead of its livery launch in Las Vegas on February 8.

Red Bull’s sister team, based in Faenza, northern Italy, had been racing as AlphaTauri since 2020, taking over from its previous incarnation as Toro Rosso -- the Italian translation of Red Bull -- which raced from 2006 to 2019.

Prior to the Austrian drinks company taking it over, the team raced as Minardi. It is the second new name for 2024 after the Alfa Romeo team became Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber.

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The Visa Cash App RB team will make its debut at the inaugural round of the season in Bahrain at the beginning of March, with Australian Daniel Ricciardo and Japan’s Yuki Tsunoda aiming to improve on last year’s modest 8th place, out of 10, in the constructors’ standings.

Payment giant Visa is now a global partner for both Red Bull-owned teams.

Reaction over the bizarre name change on social media was as about what you’d expect.

Sky Sports’ Craig Slater poked fun at the new name.

Daniel Ricciardo is now racing for Visa Cash App RB. (Photo by Joe Portlock/Getty Images)
Daniel Ricciardo is now racing for Visa Cash App RB. (Photo by Joe Portlock/Getty Images)
The logo for the Visa Cash App Racing Bulls.
The logo for the Visa Cash App Racing Bulls.

“If they get really fast and hit top speed on a straight, they would hit the Visa Limit,” Slater said.

“And how about this. If Daniel Ricciardo and Yuki Tsunoda go through an entire season without having a crash it would be Visa Contactless.”

Meanwhile, Edd Straw of The Race said it is “the worst team name in F1 history”, adding: “(it) is an embarrassment to Red Bull and Formula 1 as a whole.

“Not only does it sound fatuous, but it also showcases an avaricious lack of imagination that can only be spirit-sapping for those working for the team and signal to the hundreds of millions watching that this is not a competitor to be taken seriously,” Straw wrote.

“The disconnected way the name, which the team has now confirmed, has gradually dribbled out also raises big questions about the strategy.

“It’s hard to imagine Dietrich Mateschitz allowing this to happen were he still around, which is telling in itself given Red Bull was built on its astonishing capacity for imaginative marketing strategies.”

Originally published as ‘Not appropriate’: Ricciardo’s team becomes laughing stock of F1 world after ‘ridiculous’ switch

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Original URL: https://www.news.com.au/sport/motorsport/formula-one/not-appropriate-ricciardos-team-becomes-laughing-stock-of-f1-world-after-ridiculous-switch/news-story/51814692d3d368425da39878490c9b1f