Like other F1 teams such as Stake F1, which we discussed in the previous article in this series, Red Bull’s sister team is going through a bit of a transition period.
They unveiled their 2023 campaign at an event in New York City, with a driver lineup of Hiroki Tsunoda and rookie Nick de Vries. However, the AT04, a challenger for the 2023 season, struggled in the early stages, much like de Vries himself. The rookie has received numerous warnings from management to improve his form, most notably from Red Bull’s senior advisor Dr. Helmut Marko.
However, de Vries continued to struggle and was sacked midway through the season, and was replaced by a familiar face.
Daniel Ricardo.
When Ricciardo joined the team ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix, AlphaTauri were languishing at the bottom of the constructors’ championship with just two points for the season, with Tsunoda and the duo finishing 10th. But Ricciardo was injured during practice for the Dutch Grand Prix and was ruled out before he could add to his tally.
He was then replaced by Liam Lawson, the team’s fourth driver of the year.
Lawson made an impression during his short stint with the team. He got behind the wheel of the AT04 in just one practice session at the Dutch Grand Prix, but despite the rain, he managed to finish 13th after starting from the back of the grid (Kevin Magnussen started from the pit lane). He achieved excellent results. Lawson then qualified 10th and finished 9th in Singapore, scoring his first F1 points after finishing 11th at Monza.
However, it was in the final five races of the season that AlphaTauri improved in the standings. Ricciardo returned for the American Grand Prix, but the team was still in last place, but Tsunoda’s eighth place finish in Austin brought the team within two points of Haas. Ricciardo then moved up to the second row in qualifying for the Mexico City Grand Prix and finished seventh in the race, helping AlphaTauri pass Haas and level with Alfa Romeo.
And in Brazil, it was Tsunoda’s turn again. Ricciardo missed out on points in the F1 sprint race at Interlagos, but Tsunoda’s sixth place finish earned him three more points. Tsunoda finished ninth in the Grand Prix and added two more, and suddenly AlphaTauri were in sole eighth place, seven points behind Williams with two races remaining.
In the end, they were unable to catch Williams. In Las Vegas, neither team scored, and in Abu Dhabi, Tsunoda’s eighth place and resulting four points brought the teams close, but they were unable to catch up with Williams in the final game of the season.
Still, it was a herculean effort all the way to get the team out of the basement. Now they look to 2024 with new hopes and a new team manager in charge.
And a new name too.
Photo credit: Rudy Carezzevoli/Getty Images
2023 Highlights: Mexico City Grand Prix
AlphaTauri were one of the few teams whose drivers failed to achieve a double points finish, but the highlight of their 2023 season was probably the Mexico City Grand Prix. It was clear from the start of the week that Ricciardo and Tsunoda would be leading the pack in Mexico City, with both drivers performing well in practice.
Following FP2, where Ricciardo finished 6th, just three tenths behind Max Verstappen, Ricciardo went so far as to say ahead of qualifying that he had a car in the top 10.
He followed through on his words and earned a spot in the Grand Prix. Thanks to his team’s smart strategy, he also got help from Tsunoda. Tsunoda started at the back due to a gearbox change, but gave Ricciardo a good slipstream in both Q1 and Q2, allowing Ricciardo to advance into Q3. It worked, and as a result, Ricciardo started on the second row at the Grand Prix.
From there he was able to keep his AT04 within the top 10 and although he dropped a few places during the race, he was battling George Russell for 6th place in the closing stages. Russell held out in the end, but his last performance against Mercedes was a big moment for the team. “In the last lap we came very close, but we couldn’t reach it. In any case, it’s exciting to fight Mercedes at the end.” Ricciardo said after the race:. “Overall it was a good weekend with six important points. Now let’s keep the ball rolling.”
2023 Lowlight: Austrian Grand Prix
At the other end of the spectrum is the 2023 Austrian Grand Prix. Although Tsunoda’s time was only 2/1000ths of a second, neither driver was able to pass Q1, and both started from the end, with Tsunoda in 16th and de Vries in 20th.
Sunday saw some improvement as de Vries crossed the line in 15th and Tsunoda in 17th. However, like many drivers on the day, they received numerous penalties for exceeding track limits, and when all calculations were done, de Vries was in 17th place and Tsunoda in 19th place. I was lowered in rank.
“Overall, we just didn’t have the pace to challenge for points.” Jonathan Eddolls saidthe team’s chief race engineer after the race.
That was their theme for the first half of the year.
Outlook for 2024
What was the first thing you needed to understand this season?
name.
AlphaTauri was dropped as a naming partner for the team and was listed as Scuderia AlphaTauri RB when the FIA announced the grid for the 2024 season. As a result, there has been speculation as to whether the team will participate in the 2024 season as the “Racing Bulls” or under a different name. Recently, internet sleuths revealed the fact that Red Bull has not only registered the domain name “Racing Bulls”, but also the domain name “VisaCashAppRB”.
That speculation was recently confirmed. Introducing the Visa Cash App RB F1 Team.
of course.
And another transition is underway. That is the departure of longtime team principal Franz Tost, who will step down at the end of the 2023 season. instead of him? Laurent Mequise left Ferrari in July 2023 after serving as Ferrari’s deputy team principal and racing director for the better part of three seasons.
As for how the team will fare on track, having the driver duo of Tsunoda and Ricciardo finalized for the start of the season will put them in an advantageous position. The team decided to move forward with veteran drivers rather than use the two seats as a proving ground for Red Bull.
And there’s also excitement about the 2024 Challenger, which is rumored to implement many of RB19’s features and components. This could potentially give the team a head start on the 2024 season, but it has led to complaints from other teams, particularly McLaren’s Zac Brown, about Red Bull’s relationship with the sister team.
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Photo provided by: Qian Jun/MB Media/Getty Images
Person under the most pressure to perform in 2024: Laurent Mequise
When you replace a long-time figure like Tost, the pressure is on. Certainly, Ricciardo and Tsunoda will feel the heat — given Lawson’s looming presence and how well they performed in limited games last season — and their second game will be a tough one after a bad weekend. There is no doubt that there will be growing calls for Lawson to join the team. Their spot will be making waves in the F1 world.
But Mekies, who is hoping for a combination of veteran drivers and a much-improved Challenger to start the season, will be exposed to the toughest conditions once the season begins.
