The strange new team name Ricciardo will race with 

One could be forgiven for misinterpreting the strange new team name Daniel Riccardo will race with in the 2024 Formula 1 season.

In 2024 the Red Bull sister squad has switched its name from AlphaTauri to Visa Cash App RB Formula One Team.

The tongue-twister will take a long time to stick with the Faenza squad which for a long time was known as Toro Rosso.

Toro Rosso was the squad’s distinctive name from 2006 all the way to 2020 when it rebranded to AlphaTauri.

Since it was revealed another name change was coming, rumours have circulated as to what it could be over the last six months with Racing Bulls the favourite.

However, that has not been used with the long VCARB acronym preferred.

The Faenza based team has become the second to ditch a traditional team name for a naming rights deal on the Formula 1 grid.

Earlier this year the iconic Sauber squad will be known as Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber for the next two years.

In addition to a new name, fans will also see a new face leading Ricciardo and Yuki Tsunoda with veteran team principal Franz Tost being replaced by Laurent Mekies.

CEO Peter Bayer described the new name as the start of the team’s new era.

“It’s fantastic to reveal the new identity and to welcome new partners as we embark on the next phase of the team’s F1 story,” said CEO 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.

“We have a bold vision for the team led by myself and team principal Laurent Mekies and having future-focused partners such as Visa and Cash App alongside us on that journey is hugely exciting.”

Prior to Red Bull and Toro Rosso coming to the scene, the Italian squad built its own brand as the much-loved Minardi, which fought hard with little resources.

As Toro Rosso and AlphaTauri, the team has continued that reputation unearthing future stars such as Sebastian Vettel, Ricciardo, Carlos Sainz and Max Verstappen.

The shining high points have also arrived on home turf at Monza where both Vettel and Pierre Gasly scored stunningly unexpected wins in 2008 and 2020 respectively.

This year both Ricciardo and Tsunoda will be determined to bring the team back up the grid after a challenging 2023 where it finished eighth.

It remains to be seen whether or not Visa Cash App RB Formula One Team will stick or not, but the immediate reaction on social media has not been great.

In Australia it has been commonplace in Supercars for team names to run a naming rights sponsor.

But despite the teams calling themselves Red Bull Ampol Racing, Shell V-Power Racing Team or Pizza Hut Racing, they are still commonly referred to as Triple Eight Race Engineering, Dick Johnson Racing and Brad Jones Racing respectively.

Autosport has conducted a pool where currently 68% of the 7,789 participants voted they will continue to call Ricciardo’s team AlphaTauri despite the name change.

Meanwhile, just 4% will call it the full Visa Cash App RB Formula One Team.

However, fans will be more concerned about the car coming on February 8 and if it can propel Ricciardo to more points finishes in an important 2024.

Main Photo by Rudy Carezzevoli/Getty Images/Red Bull Content Pool

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