Just two days ago, the Visa Cash App RB F1 team unveiled their 2024 challenger. Unlike the initial backlash toward the name, the VCARB01 received a lot of love and praise from the fans for its striking good looks and color scheme. However, underneath all the paint there is a car that should and will strike fear into the rivals with VCARB01 potentially being an exceptionally fast car. This scenario will see Red Bull and Max Verstappen not only dominate the championship once again but also see Daniel Ricciardo and Co. fend off the competition.

This is the opinion of Motorsport’s Italian journalist Franco Nugnes who, in a recent YouTube video, confessed the VCARB01 is a copy of the RB20, just as Zak Brown feared. Nugnes also believes the statement that Ricciardo made during the car lunch also indicates what to expect and that’s exactly what concerns him and should concern the rest of the grid.

“Yesterday (at the VCARB01 launch) I was quite impressed by the presentation from the few words that were said by Mr. Daniel Ricciardo. Daniel comes from a period where he suffered from results in McLaren and AlphaTauri,” he said. “If he comes out saying it (VCARB01) will be a machine in which we could aim for podiums, it gave me a shiver down my spine because it will confirm this car is a clone of the RB20 which will be presented next week.” (Translated via Google)

“Will he (Daniel Ricciardo) be able to be a reference man with (Max) Verstappen with cavalier (Sergio) Perez? Well, if we also find Daniel Ricciardo and Yuki Tsunoda getting on the podium, we are at complete raid. With everyone toying with their cars in hopes of getting closer to Red Bull, this will be disturbing to see,” Nugnes concluded.

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This is the outcome of Red Bull and the Italian team with the American name working in the same vicinity. We all were aware shifting the aerodynamics base to Milton Keynes would have some impact on the Visa Cash App RB car. However, how much of an impact this collaborative effort will have on Red Bull’s sister’s team car? We will only know once it hits the tracks.

However, now that the team is trying to step away from the ‘sister team’ outlook and now that they have the car, they want to stand on their own two feet. This ambition within the team was highlighted by Daniel Ricciardo’s statement.

Daniel Ricciardo makes a statement full of intent, admitting he’s done chasing Max Verstappen and Co.

Since its inception, or perhaps the Red Bull takeover, the sister team was a breeding ground for young talents and a stepping stone for the Red Bull seat. However, heading into the new season, under a new name, a new era dawns on the Italian team.

The vision for the Visa Cash App RB team is to be competitive and secure podiums, if not wins. This approach was highlighted by the CEO Peter Bayer in a statement earlier in the year. Now Daniel Ricciardo is also exuding the same confidence.

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“I think obviously the team has always taken itself seriously, but I feel like this is another step up now,” Ricciardo stated. “It’s no longer just a platform for Red Bull Racing. It’s a time for us to fight at the front of the midfield. And of course, some people are encouraged and optimistic, and then others are, ‘Let’s just wait till we get it on track.’”

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If this doesn’t prove to you what the Visa Cash App RB team is chasing, we don’t know what will. Perhaps a few podiums and maybe even wins, as the Italian journalist suspects? Yes, then we will surely start taking the Italian team seriously, no matter how odd the name is.