By Alan Baldwin
LONDON (Reuters) -The Red Bull-owned AlphaTauri Formula One team changed their name on Wednesday to Visa Cash App RB, a mouthful likely to be shortened by most commentators to the last two letters, and announced a livery launch in Las Vegas on Feb. 8.
The deal is part of Visa’s first major global sports sponsorship in more than 15 years with a multi-year agreement to partner the newly-named team and dominant world champions Red Bull Racing.
The team’s drivers are Australian Daniel Ricciardo and Japanese Yuki Tsunoda.
Italy-based AlphaTauri were previously Scuderia Toro Rosso, and before that Minardi, and the latest version sparked plenty of debate.
“Visa Cash App RB is the worst team name in Formula One history and is an embarrassment to Red Bull and Formula One as a whole,” declared an article on the website.
The claim was bold bearing in mind the 1970s saw both the Surtees Durex team, backed by a condom maker, and Penthouse Rizla Racing Hesketh promoting a ‘men’s magazine’ and a cigarette paper brand.
Both of those were generally referred to as Surtees and Hesketh.
The sport has also had team names featuring cigarette brands, refrigerators, real estate companies, drinks, watches and toiletries.
AlphaTauri is the name of Austrian energy drink company Red Bull’s fashion brand.
The official website said the new team will be known as RB, although that could prove problematic as Red Bull Racing’s cars have traditionally taken the RB prefix with last year’s designated the RB19.
ESPN reported the team was already being referred to as V-CARB within the company.
“It’s fantastic to reveal the new identity and to welcome new partners as we embark on the next phase of the team’s Formula One story,” said Visa Cash App RB’s chief executive Peter Bayer.
“Faenza is entering a new era of racing, staying true to our roots as a hothouse for talent but now with an even greater focus on competing for the biggest prizes in F1.”
Visa will also sponsor the team’s all-female F1 Academy entry in the support series.
AlphaTauri finished eighth out of 10 teams last season. The first race of 2024 is in Bahrain on March 2.
(Reporting by Alan Baldwin, editing by Pritha Sarkar)
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