The rebranding of AlphaTauri to Visa Cash App RB is more than just a cosmetic change. The team has also strengthened its ties with the senior team, Red Bull Racing, with a significant shift in their personnel, from their base in the UK to the factory in Milton Keynes. It was a big red flag for other teams on the grid, as many, including Zak Brown, predicted the convergence in design philosophy between the Racing Bulls and the dominant Red Bull car. With the launch of RB’s VCARB 01 livery, those trepidations are already coming to the limelight.

McLaren CEO Zak Brown was one of the few who raised legitimate concerns about the partnership between the two Red Bull teams. He cautioned that the shared resources between the two teams eventually led to the convergence in their design philosophies. And the difference in their allocated development timelines could help both teams in the long run. He claimed that AlphaTauri (now Visa Cash RB Team) could exceed the level of shared resources permissible under the rules and would go against the fairness of the sport.

Zak Brown’s comparisons between RB19 and VCARB 01 surface

As soon as the Racing Bulls unveiled their livery with a launch event in Las Vegas, the ever-analytical F1 community got to work to find clues if the VCARB 01 shares a resemblance to the RB 19. And just as Zak Brown feared, the similarities between the two cars are striking, to say the least. According to a tweet from Formula Data Analysis, a page managed by a doctorate in vehicle dynamics pointed out that one of the most obvious changes was seen in the front suspension. The VCARB 01 switched to the pull-rod configuration similar to the RB19.

But that was not the only change in the suspension design. The VCARB 01 also features thinner rods, which are lighter and have better tensile vs. compressive fiber strength, resulting in better airflow. The Wishbone is also similarly inclined to the RB19 compared to a much straighter version of the AT04. Even the side pod intakes have become thinner, much like what they deployed with the RB19. It was also pointed out that the modified side pod and the bodywork at the rear were also quite similar to the RB19.

The way the air flows under the cooling vents with the aggressive undercut and how the back of the car is shaped is also similar. They are also using similar parts for the suspension system, like the rockers, springs, and dampers. Craig Scarborough, who talks about everything about the technical side of motorsport, claimed that these parts could help the car go quicker around, even more than the aerodynamic advantage gained with the pull-rod configuration.

With all the similarities between the two cars, a recent memory from 2020 springs to mind.

Are we up for another “Pink Mercedes” saga in 2024?

Collaboration between two Formula 1 teams is not a new thing by any means. However, sometimes the collaboration can go too far. In 2020, Racing Point (now Aston Martin) surprised the Formula world when they launched their car. It was so dramatically similar to Mercedes’ 2019 challenger that it was dubbed the “Pink Mercedes” by all the other teams.

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While Racing Point denied the claims of having copied the car, it was obvious FIA had to step in to ensure something like that never happened again. As a result, FIA banned the use of 3D cameras and software systems that would allow the teams to reverse engineer the design of their rivals.

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Do you think we will see a protest coming from Zak Brown and the other teams to look into the development of the VCARB 01? Share your thoughts down below in the comments.