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

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.

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.

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Bayer: The team has done an amazing effort

On the driver front, Australian veteran Daniel Ricciardo and Japan's Yuki Tsunoda remain as the team’s drivers for 2024. The pair have been team-mates since the 2023 Hungarian Grand Prix when Ricciardo returned to F1 after being drafted in to replace Dutchman Nyck De Vries, who was axed from the team following the British Grand Prix.

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.

"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."

READ MORE: F1 Schedule: Full race calendar for the 2024 season

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