Racing Bulls is Red Bull’s junior team on the track. The team’s last iteration was VCARB, having undergone several name changes over the years. They were formerly known as Alphatauri and more notably Torro Rosso. The Italian team has had several notable drivers in its midst, including four-time world champions Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen.
Racing Bulls has always been a midfield team for a while. However, the pre-season testing for 2025 may suggest a pushdown to the bottom tier as their rivals have managed to soar past.
RB has Yuki Tsunoda as the experienced driver, partnered with Isack Hadjar who is the new rookie joining the paddock for 2025.
Racing Bulls pre-season test performance off the mark
The junior team pulled off the third highest number of laps of any team on the track. 454 laps were driven by both drivers combined. However, the performance during the tests was underwhelming.
Day 1 of pre-season tests saw Yuki Tsunoda and Isack Hadjar settling for P10 and P11, respectively. The junior team looked slower than Alpine and Williams but faster than Haas and Sauber.
Dear #F1Testing ‘25, it’s been real 🤘
See you in 🇦🇺#F1 #VCARB pic.twitter.com/ChsoeZmClM
— Visa Cash App Racing Bulls F1 Team (@visacashapprb) February 28, 2025
Day 2 of pre-season tests was where we saw Yuki shine in his RB. The Japanese driver drove 47 laps and put himself in P7 while Hadjar was down at P14.
For the final day, the roles were reversed. The Algerian rookie managed a P10 while Yuki followed with a P12. The team managed to place one of the drivers in the top 10 in all sessions. However, according to the drivers, the car has lower pace than expected, which can cause problems at the season opener.
Can RB challenge its rivals Alpine and Williams?
Racing Bulls’ biggest rivals in the competition are Alpine and Williams. Both teams have had excellent testing sessions. Alpine has consistently managed to outpace RB across the three sessions. Williams looks to be faster than both as Carlos Sainz even managed to put himself on top for the second day.
It seems like RB is lacking the pace it needs to put up a fight with Alpine and Williams. When asked about the car’s performance, Yuki said the following.
“I wouldn’t say I think we are going to have complete performance as much as I had first half of the season last year,”
“So I think it will be a little bit trickier to fight the top 10, to score points it will be very, very tight. Still, there’s a bit of a step forward, but not enough compared to what we want so far.” added Yuki.
According to Tsunoda, the car is slower than it was last year, and hence it will make it difficult for the team to score points up until the mid-season. However, the Japanese driver remains unconcerned.
Team Principal Laurent Mekies, while not happy with the pace, is convinced that the team can bounce back.
Another day in the desert d o n e 💨
🇯🇵TSU ➡️ 46 laps. Best Time: 1:30.793
🇫🇷HAD ➡️ 94 laps. Best Time: 1:30.675#F1 #VCARB #F1Testing pic.twitter.com/hr8HOWKCTZ— Visa Cash App Racing Bulls F1 Team (@visacashapprb) February 27, 2025
“Everyone in the factory has put a huge effort into preparing for this test, the final step before we go racing and overall, these past three days were successful,” commented Mekies.
“We had no major car issues, which meant we were able to complete a very high mileage, allowing us to gather plenty of data and learn more about the VCARB 02.”
Mekies has labelled the testing positive. While the initial pace may be slower, both the drivers managed to gain a ton of data due to the high number of laps they ran. Giving the team more data to work with means they can find solutions to their pace faster. They may even be able to outpace Williams and Alpine with a few upgrades.
What do you think? Can Racing Bulls challenge Williams and Alpine to take the top spot in the midfield? Leave your answers in the comments below.
