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Do Red Bull Have Two F1 Teams with RB?

Daniel Ricciardo’s last-lap antics put the spotlight on Red Bull’s ownership of another team on the grid.

Unlike previous seasons, the 2024 Formula 1 Drivers’ Championship is wide open. Max Verstappen of Red Bull leads the standings with 331 points, but McLaren’s Lando Norris is directly behind him with 279 points, keeping both firmly in the title race. Verstappen is chasing his fourth consecutive championship, while Norris is eyeing his first – just months after claiming his maiden victory at the Miami Grand Prix. However, the dynamic between Red Bull and their strategic partners RB could introduce complications as the season progresses.

In Singapore

At the Singapore GP, Norris took pole position during Qualifying and had a flawless performance on race day. He led from start to finish, not only breaking his streak of losing positions on the opening lap but also securing his third win of the season. This crucial victory earned him valuable points for both the Drivers’ and Constructors’ Championships, with McLaren now leading the Constructors’ standings.

Despite Norris’ victory in Singapore, not everything went smoothly for him or McLaren. On the final lap of the race, RB pitted Daniel Ricciardo for a fresh set of tyres, allowing the Australian to snatch the fastest lap point that Norris had previously held. This late move could have significant implications in the tight championship battle.

However, as Ricciardo finished outside of the top ten, he will not receive the point. As it looks likely this was the Australian’s final race, some believe this was a fitting way for the driver to bow out.

As it stands, calculations suggest that Verstappen is now guaranteed the 2024 title if he finishes second to Norris in the remaining Grands Prix and sprint races regardless of who claims the fastest lap bonuses.

The RB19, while no longer the dominant or fastest car on the grid, remains capable of securing podium finishes. Red Bull’s decision to use Ricciardo underlines the growing threat McLaren poses.

Every point matters in this close championship battle, and it is clear that Red Bull is keen to either claim those points or deny them to their British rivals.

Controversy

Naturally, this decision has sparked debate on and off of the grid. Speaking to Motorsport, McLaren Team Principal Andrea Stella said:

“This is a big matter. You know, as soon as you invoke the sportsmanship, I think you need to approach this with a sense of responsibility, that I want to have.

“I don’t know the facts. I just saw that RB went for the fastest lap, and they achieved it. But for me here talk about sportsmanship and so on, I think is… it would be out of place. So I think we have to take it at face value.

“They scored the fastest lap, and potentially as part of a longer-term conversation, we need to put the sport in a position in which, at any stage – being it trackside or being it factory-side – teams behave in a totally autonomous manner, because this is a constructors’ championship.

“This needs to be definitely addressed. But at no point I have elements now to say RB went for the fastest lap to support the Red Bull. I just find it a little… how to say… peculiar. I did not see it coming.”

While Stella did not outright accuse Red Bull of collusion, he has raised an important point regarding the relationship between Red Bull and RB.

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Norris acknowledged that Red Bull made a “smart play” by securing the fastest lap for his former McLaren teammate, admitting it was the “logical thing” to do in the circumstances the Red Bull umbrella is in.

Sister Team

RB, officially known as Visa Cash App RB Formula One Team, is one of two F1 constructors owned by the Austrian conglomerate Red Bull GmBH. Their other team is Red Bull Racing. Currently, the FIA has no rule preventing either team from assisting the other in situations such as the one that unfolded in Singapore.

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