2024 Visa Cash App RB Car Launch in Las Vegas LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – FEBRUARY 08 – Photo by Jesse Grant/Getty Images for Visa Cash App RB
RB Formula 1 boss Laurent Mekies has disclosed that the team is “sharing what we can” from parent company Red Bull within the limits of what the current regulations permit.
The team based in Faenza had a challenging start to the previous season, leading to an announcement that it would establish a closer alliance with Red Bull.
This began with the inclusion of Red Bull’s rear suspension in an upgrade package to Singapore, which helped the team climb to eighth place in the Constructors’ Championship.
Since then, Red Bull’s shared ownership has faced significant criticism from competitors, with McLaren CEO Zak Brown urging F1 and the FIA to investigate the “serious issue”.
Nevertheless, the rebranded team has continued with its plans to utilize more components from Red Bull and has adopted the pull-rod front suspension from the championship-winning RB19 on its VCARB 01 challenger.
Mekies, who has taken over from the retiring Franz Tost, emphasizes that Red Bull has been conducting its due diligence to understand the extent of collaboration between its two teams.
“We find ourselves in a situation where we have an owner of two teams and naturally we have asked, ‘What can we share?'” Mekies told Motorsport.com’s Italian publication.
“We should collaborate. We are reviewing the regulations and sharing what we can.
“But at the same time, we are pushing as hard as possible to prepare ourselves to compete for greater rewards.”
RB will also expand its presence in the United Kingdom by relocating its aero department from Bicester to Milton Keynes, where Red Bull’s operation is situated.
While working between two factories in different countries may have been seen as a disadvantage in the past, Mekies believes that the advantages now outweigh any drawbacks.
“For a long time, we had two offices: Faenza and Bicester. The Bicester departments will move to the new facilities in Milton Keynes. Historically, having two headquarters has always been a disadvantage. But it’s 2024, the world has changed dramatically,” explained Mekies, formerly Ferrari’s Racing Director.
The way people engage with one another is also undergoing a transformation. We aspire to establish a functioning entity that operates without physical locations.
If, for instance, a department were to be divided between Faenza and Milton Keynes, we believe this would be acceptable. Although it presents a challenge, we believe it also brings numerous advantages: we can recruit the most talented individuals in the United Kingdom and across Europe.
Daniel Ricciardo has issued a warning to the competition, emphasizing that RB should be taken with greater seriousness. The Australian driver has set his sights on achieving “top five results” right from the beginning of this season.
However, Mekies has tempered expectations for the upcoming year, acknowledging that the aggressive development drive undertaken by the Italian team last year may initially put them at a disadvantage.
“We continued to develop the car until the latter part of the year, so the starting point of this year’s car is not vastly different from what you witnessed in Abu Dhabi last year,” he emphasized.
“Alongside all the significant changes we are implementing, we will strive to discover our new direction and pace of development, with the hope that it will lead us to a better position.
“Nevertheless, we are aware that the initial phase of the season will likely be quite challenging, considering the extent to which we pushed ourselves at the end of last year and the profound alterations we made during the winter.
“It is only natural that this will result in a more accurate development towards the end of the season. It is a conscious decision we have made, even if it may have short-term repercussions.
“Our objective is to construct a new project and establish its foundation for the long term.”
According to the Source motorsportweek.com