'Still calling them Toro Rosso': F1 team's rebrand to Visa Cash App RB leaves fans longing
The 2024 Formula One season kicks off on Feb. 21 with preseason testing at the Bahrain International Circuit ahead of the first race there on March 2. For the first time in Formula One history, there were no driver lineup changes from the end of the prior season.
The same can't be said for teams, though.
Alfa Romeo rebranded to Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber on New Year's Day as the team transitions to Audi ownership by 2026. The second and final change came down today with the AlphaTauri team rebranding to Visa Cash App RB F1 Team.
Visa Cash App RB's website went live Wednesday with a special event in Las Vegas set for Feb. 8 to launch the team's 2024 car. Visa will also be sponsoring Red Bull Racing as well as F1 Academy entries for both teams.
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"The birth of Visa Cash App RB is a hugely significant moment," Red Bull Technology's Chief Marketing Officer Oliver Hughes said in a statement. "The new identity is not simply a name change, it's the start of a thrilling new journey designed to take the team to new levels of competitiveness."
The team's name change earned some pushback on social media, including from former Formula One driver Giedo van der Garde.
He's not alone with fans weighing in on the new name as well.
Sky Sports' Craig Slater had multiple jokes at the ready for the new team name.
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What was Visa Cash App RB F1 Team called before?
The origins of the newest team on the grid go back to 1985 when Italian Giancarlo Minardi started the Minardi F1 Team based in Faenza, Italy. Over the next 20 years, the team earned a reputation as one of the slowest teams in the field but a proving ground for young talent. Future two-time world champion Fernando Alonso started out with Minardi in 2001.
Red Bull bought the Jaguar Racing F1 Team ahead of the 2005 season and renamed it Red Bull Racing. A year later, the company bought Minardi and renamed it Scuderia Toro Rosso, roughly translated to "Red Bull Racing" in Italian. Like it was under the Minardi name, Toro Rosso became a team to develop drivers for for Red Bull Racing.
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Multiple future world champions and race winners came through Toro Rosso on their way to Red Bull.
Four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel won the team's first race in 2008. Three-time world champion Max Verstappen spent his rookie season there in 2015. Race winners Daniel Ricciardo, Pierre Gasly, and Carlos Sainz Jr. all got their start in Toro Rosso.
The team rebranded but remained under Red Bull ownership for the 2020 season with the new title Scuderia AlphaTauri. This change was to promote Red Bull's fashion label. Last year, Red Bull considered selling the team but decided to restructure instead with a new team principal and more operations moved to the U.K. from Faenza. Now, the latest changes include a third name for the team under Red Bull's ownership.