Yuki Tsunoda driving a VCARB 01 during free practice of the Chinese Grand Prix. | |||||||||||
| Category | Formula One | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Constructor | RB | ||||||||||
| Designers |
| ||||||||||
| Predecessor | AlphaTauri AT04 | ||||||||||
| Successor | Racing Bulls VCARB 02 | ||||||||||
| Technical specifications | |||||||||||
| Chassis | Carbon-fibre monocoque andHalo safety cockpit protection device[citation needed] | ||||||||||
| Suspension (front) | Multi-link pull-rod actuated dampers and anti-roll bar[5] | ||||||||||
| Suspension (rear) | Double wishbone push-rod springs, dampers, and anti-roll bar[6] | ||||||||||
| Engine | Honda RBPTH002[7] 1.6 L (98 cu in)direct injection (jointly developed and supplied byHonda andHitachi Astemo)V6turbocharged engine limited to 15,000rpm in arear mid-mounted, rear-wheel-drive layout[8][9] | ||||||||||
| Electric motor | Honda Kinetic andthermal energy recovery systems[citation needed] | ||||||||||
| Transmission | Red Bull Technology[10] Hydraulically actuated multiplate[11] | ||||||||||
| Battery | Honda-Lithium-ion-battery[12] | ||||||||||
| Power | 1080hp (805kW)[13] | ||||||||||
| Weight | 798 kg (1,759 lbs)[14] | ||||||||||
| Fuel | Esso /Mobil Synergy[note 1] | ||||||||||
| Lubricants | Ravenol | ||||||||||
| Brakes | Brembo 6-piston aluminium-lithium calipers,Brembo carbon discs and carbon pads[15] | ||||||||||
| Tyres | Pirelli P Zero (Dry) Pirelli Cinturato (Wet) | ||||||||||
| Clutch | Hydraulically-activated carbon multiplate[16] | ||||||||||
| Competition history | |||||||||||
| Notable entrants | Visa Cash App RB F1 Team | ||||||||||
| Notable drivers | |||||||||||
| Debut | 2024 Bahrain Grand Prix | ||||||||||
| Last event | 2024 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix | ||||||||||
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TheRB VCARB 01 is aFormula One car constructed byRB for the2024 Formula One World Championship. It is the first chassis built and designed by the team. The car was driven byDaniel Ricciardo andYuki Tsunoda, withLiam Lawson replacing Ricciardo, who departed the team after the2024 Singapore Grand Prix, for the final six races of the season.Ayumu Iwasa held reserve driver duties. The car made its competitive debut at the2024 Bahrain Grand Prix. The car achieved one fastest lap from Ricciardo in Singapore.
TheVisa Cash App RB F1 Team is a Formula One racing team that made its debut in the2024 Formula One season.[17] The team was previously namedAlphaTauri andToro Rosso due to their affiliations withRed Bull Racing as afeeder outfit since 2006.[18] AlphaTauri competed from2020 to2023 in Formula One before announcing arebranding in December 2023 alongside a new deal with Red Bull.[19] The new team aimed to improve their competitiveness in the grid, with major sponsorsVisa Inc. andCash App to provide stability in finance and marketing, and a closer technical partnership to Red Bull.[20]
Laurent Mekies was the team principal for RB, replacingFranz Tost who retired in 2023, as the team underwent significant operation restructure.[21] The RB F1 team, which is based inFaenza, Italy, moved part of its operation inBicester, England into a new facility inMilton Keynes. The team plans to operate the aerodynamics department in the facility by the end of the 2024 season.[22] Mekies stated that RB would utilise the front and rear suspensions and gearbox from Red Bull in addition to theHonda RBPT power unit and engine.[23][24]
The drivers' lineup wasDaniel Ricciardo andYuki Tsunoda withLiam Lawson named reserve driver for the 2024 season. All three drivers competed in the previous season of Formula One, earning 25 points to help AlphaTauri finish eighth in the constructors' standings.[25] Ricciardo joined the team in July 2023 to replaceNyck de Vries, who was released after theBritish Grand Prix, and started in two races before sustaining a broken hand. As a result, Lawson filled in five races for the Australian and made his F1 debut at the2023 Dutch Grand Prix.[25] The predecessor of the VCARB 01, theAlphaTauri AT04, was cited as "one of the worst cars on the grid" by critics in the 2023 season.[26][27][28]

Laurent Mekies signed for RB, then known as AlphaTauri, as team principal in April 2023.[29]Tim Goss,Alan Permane and Guillaume Cattelani were announced in January 2024 by RB as "key technical hires" ahead of the 2024 season. Permane was responsible for engineering operations on race weekends while Cattelani managed aerodynamics, vehicle performance, and technology on the car.[30] The VCARB 01, the first Formula One car constructed by RB, was unveiled in a launch event atLas Vegas in February 2024.[31] The car usedHonda, as a named engine supplier toRed Bull Racing and RB, the latter since 2023, with both teams' engines badged asHondaRBPT.[32]
Critics said the car displayed "some likeness" to theRB18 andRB19 ofRed Bull Racing in the last two seasons. RB changed to apull-rod front suspension, similar to Red Bull, with a different sidepod design in the lower and upper sections to allow more airflow towards the car's rear.[33] The car, at the start of the season, mainly carried modified components from the AlphaTauri AT04 with the aerodynamic design brought in the2023 Singapore Grand Prix.[33] The upgrades involved a modification of the floor to lowerstatic pressure to the floor edge and increase mass flow under the forward floor.[34] Thedrum brake scoop inlets and rear suspensions were also redesigned.[34]
After criticism toRed Bull GmbH, who owns RB and Red Bull Racing, for distributing information between teams, Mekies said the car "is not the Red Bull of last year" and that the shared parts do not benefit in performances.[35] Testing began on 21 February 2024 inSakhir at theBahrain International Circuit and went for three days before theBahrain Grand Prix on 2 March.[36] Both Daniel Ricciardo and Yuki Tsunoda completed 367 laps in total during the testing period.[37]
The VCARB 01's livery was predominantly painted in blue with red pinstriping overlaid on the white stripes and silver charging bull logos. When the car was launched, some fans mocking the livery as a "tribute" to theToro Rosso STR12,Toro Rosso STR13 andToro Rosso STR14 due to its close resemblance to the liveries.
The VCARB 01 were also ran on special liveries throughout the season:
| Key | |
|---|---|
| Colour | Result |
| Gold | Winner |
| Silver | Second place |
| Bronze | Third place |
| Green | Other points position |
| Blue | Other classified position |
| Not classified, finished (NC) | |
| Purple | Not classified, retired (Ret) |
| Red | Did not qualify (DNQ) |
| Black | Disqualified (DSQ) |
| White | Did not start (DNS) |
| Race cancelled (C) | |
| Blank | Did not practice (DNP) |
| Excluded (EX) | |
| Did not arrive (DNA) | |
| Withdrawn (WD) | |
| Did not enter (empty cell) | |
| Annotation | Meaning |
| P | Pole position |
| F | Fastest lap |
| Superscript number | Points-scoring position insprint |
| Year | Entrant | Engine | Tyres | Drivers | Grands Prix | Points | WCC | |||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BHR | SAU | AUS | JPN | CHN | MIA | EMI | MON | CAN | ESP | AUT | GBR | HUN | BEL | NED | ITA | AZE | SIN | USA | MXC | SAP | LVG | QAT | ABU | |||||||
| 2024 | Visa Cash App RB F1 Team | Honda RBPTH002 | P | 14 | 15 | 7 | 10 | Ret | 78 | 10 | 8 | 14 | 19 | 14 | 10 | 9 | 16 | 17 | Ret | Ret | 12 | 14 | Ret | 7 | 9 | 13 | 12 | 46 | 8th | |
| 13 | 16 | 12 | Ret | Ret | 154 | 13 | 12 | 8 | 15 | 9 | 13 | 12 | 10 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 18F | |||||||||||||
| 9 | 16 | 9 | 16 | 14 | 17† | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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