They’ve had more names than wins.
More “future stars” than actual success stories.
And in a sport that already skates the line between competition and corporate theater, they’re the most glaring exception to the idea of fairness.
Welcome to Visa Cash App RB — Red Bull’s second team, branding experiment, and eternal driver audition stage.
Let’s be honest: Toro Rosso was a better name. It meant something. It was sharp. It had identity. What we have now is a PowerPoint deck in race car form. A collection of logos. A B-team dressed like a hypebeast.
But under the marketing chaos is a question the sport still hasn’t answered:
Should one energy drink company really have two F1 teams?
The Origin: Toro Rosso Was a Concept That Made Sense
Back in 2006, Red Bull created Toro Rosso with a clear purpose: a junior team for young talent. A stepping stone to the big seat. A test lab with real-world consequences.
And it worked — at first.
Sebastian Vettel came through. He won a race in 2008 in the rain at Monza — one of the most magical upsets in modern F1. It was raw. It was bold. It felt like a real team with real emotion.
But that was the peak.
In the years that followed, Toro Rosso (and its various name changes) became less a team and more a function. Not here to win. Just here to try stuff. Test new tech. Burn through drivers. Absorb pressure.
It’s not a bad system for Red Bull. It’s just a brutal one for everyone else.
The Naming Nonsense
Since 2020, the team has been in marketing freefall:
- Toro Rosso had identity.
- AlphaTauri was fashion-sponsorship fog.
- Now Visa Cash App RB is… what, exactly?
It’s not a team name. It’s a payment processor with front wing flaps. And it shows what this team has become: a corporate vehicle for whatever Red Bull needs it to be in Q4.
Imagine if Ferrari renamed their team “Shell PayPal Racing.”
People would riot. But here? It’s just another Tuesday.
The Driver Factory (That Rarely Delivers)
This is supposed to be the junior program that feeds Red Bull Racing. But let’s look at the last decade:
- Vettel was a product of Toro Rosso, yes — but that was ages ago.
- Gasly, Albon, Kvyat — all promoted, all dumped.
- Ricciardo had a real Red Bull career, but even he ended up back here, rebooting.
- Tsunoda has raw speed but doesn’t look like a future world champion.
- Lawson? Had one great sub-in, still waiting.
They’ve gone through more drivers than most teams have sponsors — and yet they still haven’t found anyone to be Verstappen’s equal.
Because this team doesn’t develop talent. It filters it.
And if the Red Bull standard is Max, then everyone fails.
Should They Even Exist?
This is the elephant in the paddock.
Formula 1 is supposed to be a meritocratic championship — ten teams, fighting for the same wins, under the same rules. But Red Bull owns two of them. They share data. They share parts. They sometimes share strategy.
And while the rules technically separate them, everyone knows: this isn’t a full competitor. It’s a support system. A satellite. A corporate sibling.
You can argue it helps young drivers. You can argue it adds depth to the field. But you can also argue it violates the spirit of competition.
Red Bull has the best team in the world.
Do they really need a second?
What Makes VCARB What It Is?
Right now? Confusion.
It’s not a top team. Not quite a midfield team. Not really a junior team anymore. Just… there. Hovering between roles, wearing the Red Bull badge but pretending to be something independent.
The car’s getting quicker. The drivers are hungry. The marketing budget is massive.
But until they decide what they are — talent hub, independent squad, or eternal branding exercise — they’ll stay where they’ve always been:
Second.
In everything.
| Field | Info |
| Full Team Name | Visa Cash App RB Formula One Team |
| Base | Faenza, Italy (chassis); Bicester, UK (technical hub) |
| Founded | 2006 (as Scuderia Toro Rosso; originally Minardi before acquisition) |
| Owner | Red Bull GmbH |
| Team Principal | Laurent Mekies (joined from Ferrari in 2024) |
| CEO | Peter Bayer |
| Technical Director | Jody Egginton |
| Engine Supplier | Honda (badged as Red Bull Powertrains – same as Red Bull Racing) |
| Driver Lineup (2025) | Yuki Tsunoda (#22), Daniel Ricciardo (#3) |
| Test/Reserve Drivers | Liam Lawson, Ayumu Iwasa |
| Constructors’ Titles | 0 |
| Drivers’ Titles | 0 |
| First Race | Bahrain GP 2006 (as Toro Rosso) |
| First Win | Italian GP 2008 (Sebastian Vettel) |
| Total Wins | 1 (as of mid-2025) |
| Title Sponsors | Visa, Cash App, Red Bull, FlexBox, PUMA |
