F1 CEO hits out at pleas over rule change

Visa Cash App RB CEO Peter Bayer has hit back at McLaren chief Zak Brown, after the latter suggested that the FIA should more closely manage relationships between 'senior' and 'junior' linked teams.

The Red Bull 'second team' rebranded from AlphaTauri to Visa Cash App RB for 2024, as they attempt to become more distinct from the reigning constructors' champions.

The new rebranding will see the team work closer with their Milton Keynes counterparts than before and they have already used as many parts from their parent team as they are allowed in the regulations.

The VCARB-01 – which was unveiled on February 8 – has many similarities to the RB19 that gave Max Verstappen total dominance over the grid last season, winning 19 out of 22 races and scoring a record 575 points.

Bayer fires back at criticism

One of the key similarities is VCARB’s decision to adopt pull-rod front suspension like Red Bull, as well as having a similar radiator intake and using their parent team’s gearbox and rear suspension package.

There have been concerns about the heightened relationships between the two teams, with McLaren boss Zak Brown calling for the FIA to change the rules surrounding A and B teams, claiming that teams teaming up defeats the point of what a constructor is.

But Visa Cash App RB chief Bayer has fired back at the criticism, stating that all the noise has come from the Faenza team being a threat.

“One of the first things you learn in Formula 1 is that the easiest way to become unpopular is to be successful,” he told RacingNews365.

“As long as you’re last, people will not even realise you’re there.

“As soon as you start knocking on the door, they will throw everything at you that they can. I’m coming from the FIA and I know how much scrutiny there is on all of the teams.

“Certainly, there is even more scrutiny when it comes to the teams working closer together. The rules are very clear. You might have seen the statement of the FIA when they looked at our car, [it said] ‘this is a different concept’. There is nothing that concerns us.”

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