AlphaTauri rebrand confirmed for 2024 season as new team name revealed

AlphaTauri will emerge from the Formula 1 winter break with an all-new team name after the decision was made to undergo a rebranding to RB ahead of the 2024 campaign.

Red Bull’s sister outfit joined the grid back in 2006 and initially raced under the Toro Rosso guise (meaning Red Bull in Italian) but were renamed as AlphaTauri from 2020 to promote the company’s fashion brand.

TECH TUESDAY: How AlphaTauri transformed their performance after starting 2023 as the slowest car

Now, some four years after that change, the team will be given another name as they head into a new era following the retirement of long-time team boss Franz Tost, who is being replaced by former Ferrari Deputy Team Principal and Racing Director Laurent Mekies.

From 2024 onwards, they will be known as RB (the full team name will be Visa Cash App RB Formula One Team) marking a stronger reference to the Red Bull operation who have benefitted from bedding in a host of junior drivers with the Faenza squad.

Over the years, the likes of four-time champion Sebastian Vettel, now three-time champion Max Verstappen and multiple race winner Daniel Ricciardo built up valuable experience at the outfit before progressing to Red Bull.

READ MORE: ‘I’m not happy or proud’ – Franz Tost on his 18-year AlphaTauri tenure, retiring from F1, and pushing until the very end

Highlights of AlphaTauri’s spell in F1 include a remarkable victory for Pierre Gasly at the 2020 Italian Grand Prix, a result that brought back memories of Vettel’s breakthrough triumph in 2008 during the Toro Rosso days.

Next year, Yuki Tsunoda will enter his fourth F1 season at RB, while Ricciardo keeps his spot after replacing Nyck de Vries midway through the 2023 campaign and returning from injuries sustained in a practice crash at Zandvoort.

In addition to Mekies arriving as Tost’s replacement after the Austrian’s 18-year stint at the helm, another recent change at the top of the team saw Peter Bayer come in from the FIA, overseeing operations as CEO.

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AlphaTauri finished eighth in the constructors’ standings for 2023, ahead of Alfa Romeo and Haas, via a late flurry of points-scoring performances.