Racing Bulls
Italian Formula One team and constructor competing under the Racing Bulls identity since 2025.
Last updated August 21, 2026
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Overview
Racing Bulls is an Italian Formula One racing team and constructor based in Faenza, with an additional operational base in Milton Keynes near its sister team, Red Bull Racing. The team competes in the Formula One World Championship and is one of two constructors owned by Austrian conglomerate Red Bull GmbH. Although its current identity dates from the 2025 season, its competitive lineage reaches back to Minardi, which entered Formula One in 1985 and was acquired by Red Bull before the 2006 season. Following the acquisition, the team became Scuderia Toro Rosso, serving initially as Red Bull Racing's junior outfit and development platform. The team became associated with the development of drivers who later achieved major success, including Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen, while also giving Formula One experience to drivers such as Carlos Sainz Jr. and Daniel Ricciardo. Toro Rosso's most prominent sporting breakthrough came at the 2008 Italian Grand Prix, where Vettel secured the team's first Formula One victory and its first pole position. For 2020, Red Bull renamed the operation Scuderia AlphaTauri to promote the AlphaTauri fashion label. The rebrand also reflected the team's evolution from a straightforward junior team into a closer sister operation to Red Bull Racing. AlphaTauri retained its Faenza base and continued to operate as a constructor, while sharing technical and organizational links with the wider Red Bull group. The 2024 season introduced another identity, Visa Cash App RB F1 Team, generally abbreviated as RB or VCARB. The naming decision gave prominent placement to title partners Visa and Cash App but was criticized by sections of the Formula One media and fan community for being cumbersome and insufficiently distinctive. For 2025, the entry was renamed Racing Bulls, establishing the current brand and ending the regular use of the RB abbreviation as the team's principal identity. During its first Racing Bulls season, the team achieved its first podium under the new name when Isack Hadjar finished third at the 2025 Dutch Grand Prix. The team also recorded its strongest constructors' championship result to that point, finishing sixth with 92 points. Its driver structure continued to be closely connected to Red Bull's junior and senior teams: Liam Lawson moved between the two Red Bull-owned teams, Yuki Tsunoda was promoted to Red Bull Racing during the 2025 season, and Hadjar subsequently moved to the senior team for 2026. From 2026, Racing Bulls ended its Honda-related power-unit relationship and moved to Red Bull Ford Powertrains units, part of the new power-unit program shared with Red Bull Racing. The change also marked Ford's return to Formula One involvement after a lengthy absence. Racing Bulls retained Lawson and signed Red Bull junior Arvid Lindblad, while continuing its role as a competitive constructor and driver-development platform. Through its Minardi, Toro Rosso and AlphaTauri lineages, the organization remains one of Formula One's longest continuously active teams without a Drivers' or Constructors' World Championship title.
History
Racing Bulls' history begins with Minardi, the Italian team founded in 1985 and based in Faenza. Minardi competed for two decades without winning a Formula One race, but developed a reputation for nurturing drivers and engineers despite operating with comparatively modest resources. Red Bull acquired the team before the 2006 season and converted it into Scuderia Toro Rosso, an Italian counterpart to Red Bull Racing. Toro Rosso initially functioned as a junior team, providing a Formula One pathway for drivers from the Red Bull driver program. Sebastian Vettel became the clearest early example of this model. He won the 2008 Italian Grand Prix for Toro Rosso after taking pole position in wet conditions, giving the organization its first victory and making it one of the sport's most notable underdog successes. Other drivers associated with the team included Daniel Ricciardo, Carlos Sainz Jr. and Max Verstappen, who later became a multiple world champion with Red Bull Racing. The team used Ferrari power units in its first season under Red Bull ownership and later entered a closer technical relationship with Red Bull Racing. From 2018, it used Honda-designed power units, a relationship that continued through the team's AlphaTauri and RB identities. The Honda arrangement became strategically important to the Red Bull group and preceded Red Bull's decision to establish its own power-unit operation with Ford involvement for the 2026 regulations. In 2020, Toro Rosso was renamed Scuderia AlphaTauri. The name promoted Red Bull's AlphaTauri fashion brand, while the organization remained a Formula One constructor headquartered in Faenza. The change was also presented as recognition that the team had developed beyond being only a junior operation and had become a sister team to Red Bull Racing. Pierre Gasly's victory at the 2020 Italian Grand Prix became the most significant sporting achievement of the AlphaTauri period. The organization was renamed Visa Cash App RB for 2024. The commercial name generated substantial criticism because of its length and its perceived lack of an independent sporting identity. The team retained Daniel Ricciardo and Yuki Tsunoda at the start of the year. Ricciardo later departed after Singapore, and Liam Lawson completed the season alongside Tsunoda. Tsunoda's results helped the team finish eighth in the constructors' championship with 46 points. For 2025, the team entered as Racing Bulls. Liam Lawson initially moved to Red Bull Racing, while Isack Hadjar joined Racing Bulls alongside Tsunoda. After two races, Lawson returned to Racing Bulls and Tsunoda moved to the senior Red Bull team. Hadjar then became the team's leading points scorer and achieved third place at the Dutch Grand Prix, Racing Bulls' first podium. The team ended the season sixth with 92 points, its best constructors' result under the Racing Bulls identity and, according to the referenced team history, its strongest overall season to that point. The 2026 technical regulations brought the end of the team's Honda-related power-unit era. Racing Bulls adopted Red Bull Ford Powertrains units and continued to share the broader Red Bull technical ecosystem. Lawson remained with the team and Arvid Lindblad joined after progressing through the Red Bull junior system. Isack Hadjar was promoted to Red Bull Racing. This maintained the team's longstanding dual role as a championship competitor and a proving ground for drivers who may later advance to Red Bull's senior team.
- 2026
Red Bull Ford Powertrains era begins
[1]The team switches from Honda-related units to Red Bull Ford Powertrains power units under the new Formula One technical regulations.
- 2025
Racing Bulls identity and first podium
[1]The team adopts the Racing Bulls name and Isack Hadjar takes third at the Dutch Grand Prix, its first podium under the new identity.
- 2024
Visa Cash App RB identity introduced
[1]The team competes as Visa Cash App RB F1 Team, generally shortened to VCARB or RB.
- 2020
AlphaTauri rebrand
[1]Toro Rosso becomes Scuderia AlphaTauri to promote Red Bull's fashion label and emphasize its role as a sister team.
- 2018
Honda power units introduced
[1]The team begins using Honda-designed power units, a relationship that continues through its later identities until the 2026 regulation cycle.
- 2008
First Formula One victory
[1]Sebastian Vettel wins the Italian Grand Prix for Toro Rosso, the organization's first Formula One victory.
- 2006
Red Bull acquires Minardi and creates Toro Rosso
[1]Red Bull transforms Minardi into Scuderia Toro Rosso, its Italian junior Formula One team.
- 1985
Minardi enters Formula One
[1]The Faenza-based Minardi team begins its Formula One competition, establishing the lineage later inherited by Toro Rosso, AlphaTauri and Racing Bulls.
Products and positioning
A Red Bull-owned Formula One constructor positioned between an independent racing team and a high-performance sister operation, combining competition, technical development and driver progression.
Formula One racing cars · 2025
Racing Bulls Formula One cars
Purpose-built single-seater cars designed, developed and raced by the Faenza-based Formula One constructor. The cars combine the team's own chassis and race-engineering work with power units supplied through the Red Bull power-unit program. They are the central sporting and technical output of the Racing Bulls organization.
Formula One racing cars · 2024
RB Formula One cars
The team's 2024 racing cars competed under the Visa Cash App RB identity. The RB designation represented the transition from AlphaTauri to the later Racing Bulls brand and continued the team's use of Honda-related power units before the 2026 power-unit change.
Formula One racing cars · 2020
AlphaTauri Formula One cars
Cars entered by the same Faenza-based constructor from 2020 through 2023. The line served both as a competitive Formula One platform and as a vehicle for promoting Red Bull's AlphaTauri fashion brand.
Marketing campaigns
- 2024Visa and Cash App title partnership
Global
Visa and Cash App became prominent title partners in the team's 2024 entry name, linking the constructor's global Formula One platform with financial-services brands.
Outcome. Created the Visa Cash App RB identity, which was replaced by Racing Bulls in 2025.
- 2020AlphaTauri brand promotion
Global · Formula One audience
The team was renamed Scuderia AlphaTauri to provide international visibility for Red Bull's fashion label through Formula One competition, apparel and team communications.
Outcome. Established the AlphaTauri identity for four seasons and repositioned the operation as a Red Bull sister team.
Brand decisions
2026
Switch to Red Bull Ford PowertrainsGeneration changeBackground
The new Formula One power-unit regulations created the basis for Red Bull and Ford to develop a shared power-unit program.
Action taken
Racing Bulls ended its Honda-related power-unit relationship and adopted Red Bull Ford Powertrains units.
Aftermath
The change began a new technical era for the team and marked Ford's return to Formula One involvement.
2025
Rebrand as Racing BullsStrategyBackground
The previous Visa Cash App RB identity had generated criticism and did not provide a clear, distinctive sporting name.
Action taken
The team entered the 2025 season as Racing Bulls and discontinued the RB initialism as its principal identity.
Aftermath
The new identity accompanied the team's first podium under the Racing Bulls name and its best constructors' championship result to that point.
2024
Adopt the Visa Cash App RB entry nameStrategyBackground
The team entered a new commercial phase with Visa and Cash App as title partners after the AlphaTauri period.
Action taken
The official entry became Visa Cash App RB F1 Team, commonly abbreviated as VCARB or RB.
Aftermath
The long commercial name drew criticism from fans and media for being cumbersome and too close to Red Bull Racing, contributing to the subsequent Racing Bulls rebrand.
2020
Rename Toro Rosso as AlphaTauriStrategyBackground
Red Bull sought to use its Formula One team to promote the AlphaTauri fashion brand and signal the team's evolution beyond a purely junior role.
Action taken
The constructor entered the 2020 championship as Scuderia AlphaTauri.
Aftermath
The team retained its Faenza base and technical lineage while operating as a sister organization to Red Bull Racing.
Recent events
- 2026
Honda power-unit relationship ends as Red Bull Ford Powertrains begins[1]
Product generation
Racing Bulls moved from Honda-related power units to Red Bull Ford Powertrains units under the new Formula One technical cycle.
- 2025
Racing Bulls name introduced for 2025[1]
Other
The team adopted Racing Bulls as its Formula One entry name, replacing the heavily criticized Visa Cash App RB designation.
- 2025
Isack Hadjar scores first Racing Bulls podium[1]
Other
Hadjar finished third at the Dutch Grand Prix, delivering the team's first podium under the Racing Bulls name.
- 2024
Team rebranded as Visa Cash App RB for the 2024 season[1]
Other
The former AlphaTauri operation entered the 2024 Formula One season under the Visa Cash App RB identity, commonly shortened to VCARB or RB.
- 2024
Daniel Ricciardo replaced by Liam Lawson[1]
Leadership change
Ricciardo was released after the 2024 Singapore Grand Prix, with reserve driver Liam Lawson taking his seat for the remainder of the season.
Sources3 sources
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