F1 News: Helmut Marko Shuts Zak Brown & Frederic Vasseur With Strong Defense of Allegations on Red Bull

AlphaTauri recently attracted the attention of the F1 paddock when the team announced its new identity as the Visa Cash App RB. It was not so much the new branding, but the seemingly closer ties with the senior team, Red Bull, that became the point of contention for McLaren CEO, Zak Brown, and Ferrari boss, Frederik Vasseur. Both of them voiced their concerns about the newly branded team gaining an unfair advantage resulting from the closer ties to the sports governing body. However, Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko has recently stepped in to shut down the concerns people might have about the operations of Visa Cash App RB.

Toro Rosso, as the Red Bull junior team was known back in 2019, rebranded to AlphaTauri in 2020 to promote Red Bull’s fashion brand. However, the death of Red Bull founder, Dietrich Mateschitz, in October 2022 resulted in the reshuffling of the team’s management. And the rebranding of the sister team is the outcome of said changes at Red Bull.

Helmut Marko claims Visa Cash App RB remains an independent team

The concerns about the increased collaboration between Red Bull and AlphaTauri began taking shape in 2023 when the upgrades on the AT04 in the latter half of the season took it closer to the RB19. Led by new team principal, Laurent Mekies in 2024, Racing Bulls will share design staff and aerodynamic units with the senior team by moving their technical department to Red Bull’s campus in Milton Keynes.

In his recent statement, Zak Brown labeled the partnership between Red Bull and AlphaTauri as an A/B team co-ownership, expressing concerns about its impact on the fairness of the sport. He remarked, “I believe it’s a serious issue for the fairness of the sport, for the fans. That’s why it’s pretty much not allowed in any other form of major sport. “ Frederik Vasseur shared Brown’s sentiments as he emphasized the need to monitor the activities of teams and their junior counterparts, referring to it as a “strange situation.” According to him, the governing body has to manage the co-ownership issue as they have done so far.

Helmut Marko recently responded to the concerns circulating in the paddock. According to Auto Motor Sport, he said, ” It remains an independent team with independent leadership. It should also remain a junior team, even if you go the way with an experienced pilot this year. “

READ MORE: F1 News: “Fans Will Decide What They Call It”: Visa Cash App RB Finally Breaks Silence on Absurd Rebranding

Although Christian Horner and Helmut Marko have both claimed that both the teams will operate independently apart from exchanging the parts allowed by the rules, can they still take advantage of their new situation?

Can Zak Brown and Fred Vasseur’s concerns be realized?

The rules governing the sport allow for similarities in car design concepts if they are the result of an independent development process inspired by external observations. However, as personnel from Visa Cash App RB move to Red Bull’s factory, the potential for shared design concepts and aero configurations becomes a strategic possibility for the team.

This is mainly due to the allocation of wind tunnel and computer simulation hours. Visa Cash App RB, with almost double the allotted time compared to Red Bull, has a clear advantage. They can utilize these hours in the latter part of the season to legally develop the car. And even if the car turns out to look a lot similar to the RB20, FIA will face challenges in differentiating between the two since the two teams will be working together closely.

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Do you think the FIA ​​will be able to effectively regulate the development of the car between the two sister teams? Share your insights in the comments below.