AlphaTauri, the team previously known as Toro Rosso, has revealed its new look for the 2020 F1 season.
Red Bull has rebranded its junior team, which has taken on the identity of its fashion brand AlphaTauri. The team presented its new white and dark blue livery on a 2019 car (bottom gallery) at Red Bull’s Hangar-7 facility in Austria, and also released pictures of its new AT01 car for 2020 (first gallery).Drivers Pierre Gasly and Daniil Kvyat will give the car its first run at the Misano circuit in Italy tomorrow.
Gasly said he is excited by the tie-up between the fashion brand and the team he returned to at the middle of last season.
“Formula 1 is what I love the most in my life,” he said. “But of course fashion is also another world that I really like.
“So to mix and combine these two together is a really great project and really fascinating for me. So I’m discovering and learning a lot of things thanks to AlphaTauri and I’m just excited to get on track and see what we can do with the car.”
Pictures: 2020 AlphaTauri F1 launch
Pictures: 2020 AlphaTauri AT-01 car images
Advert | Become a RaceFans supporter and
2020 F1 season
- Pictures: Wrecked chassis from Grosjean’s Bahrain fireball crash to go on display
- Bottas vs Rosberg: Hamilton’s Mercedes team mates compared after 78 races each
- F1 revenues fell by $877 million in Covid-struck 2020 season
- Hamilton and Mercedes finally announce new deal for 2021 season
- F1 audience figures “strong” in 2020 despite dip in television viewers
Only Facts!
14th February 2020, 19:33
Last year’s RedBull under new colors?
Jere (@jerejj)
14th February 2020, 19:41
@Only Facts! No.
Oxnard (@montalvo)
14th February 2020, 20:55
Their sidepods seem more like the 2019 Alfa Romeo sidepods. The front seems about the same as the STR14 they brought at Abu Dhabi. The rear looks a lot like the RB15/16, but then again, the STR14 almost had the same rear as the RB15. A logic choice, only makes it easier for Honda.
That said, STR brought different aero last year to the Barcelona tests compared to their STR14 shots. So we might see some tweaks.
ColdFly (@)
15th February 2020, 8:13
Not even close!
anon
15th February 2020, 9:22
@coldfly, I would suggest that the comment about it being a “2019 Red Bull under new colours” does have some merit.
Jody Egginton, the Technical Director of Alpha Tauri, has pointed out that the team have now switched to a Haas-like model of maximising the number of parts they can source from Red Bull, so components such as the gearbox, front and rear suspension and hydraulics system are taken directly from the RB15.
Eggington later stated during the launch event that “we’ve had to adapt the 2019 Red Bull rear end into our chassis package”, whilst Marko has commented that “Everything that is permitted and as far as our capacities are sufficient is at Alpha Tauri”, which he said should now be referred to as a “sister team”, not a junior team (albeit one that will have to run 3-6 months behind the parent team in terms of upgrade packages).
It might not be quite a 2019 Red Bull with a different livery, as listed components will have had to be designed by Alpha Tauri, but Eggington’s comments are pretty strong confirmation that the underlying mechanicals have come directly from the 2019 RB15.
erikje
15th February 2020, 11:13
Using the technical allowed parts is not the same as using the rb15.
They do not even look the same. So the reality is a complete new car.
Only Facts!
15th February 2020, 11:59
One thing that caught my eyes is the front suspension. Very rudimentar, when everybody is using high mounting points to make the upper control arm as flat as possible, they are still showing a conventional design.
I was expecting everyone to go on that path, after Mercedes started the trend. I guess even Alfa Sauber is following that, if I saw the right pictures.
Maybe in Melbourne we’ll see something different. Since the front aerodynamics dictate what the rear can do, and the rear is 100% RBR like… you do the math.
anon
15th February 2020, 21:31
erikje, that seems to be, quite literally, a superficial assessment of the car given that the teams own Technical Director has talked about how the team has been integrating components from the RB15 into the car.
I noted that there would be listed parts that the team would have to design for themselves, but to call it a “complete new car” when Eggington himself has talked about how it’s got the back end of an RB15 does seem to be stretching things a bit. Furthermore, pretty much the entire senior management of Red Bull have talked about it being a deliberate design strategy for Alpha Tauri to maximise the reuse of components to cut down on design costs and to speed up on the rate at which they can develop their car.
Maybe you could draw an analogy with the VW Group and their MQB development strategy – whilst, for example, an Audi A3 and a Skoda Octavia are visually distinct, mechanically there are large chunks of those cars which are mechanically identical because they reuse components from one car to another.
In a way that is similar to the MQB strategy, the reuse of components from Red Bull by Alpha Tauri does mean that certain design decisions are dictated by the need to fit around certain dimensions that are fixed by those components. For example, as most teams now integrate the rear crash structure, gearbox and rear suspension mounting points into the same structure, by reusing the RB15’s gearbox, it pretty much automatically dictates that the AT01 has to use exactly the same suspension geometry that the RB15 did (it’s not just been them either – Haas’s rear suspension layout has often had to follow that of Ferrari for the same reason).
That also seems to have had a knock on effect on the packaging of ancillaries, with the AT01 featuring other elements that are a direct copy of the design that the RB15 had (such as the design of the wastegate). In turn, whilst the rear aerodynamics are not necessarily a direct copy, there are certainly elements that are similar due to the way in which the packaging layout of the car dictates the aerodynamics – the rear part of the engine cover, for example, of the AT01 does share similarities with the RB15 where it has to fit around the rear suspension mounting points, due to the fact that it reuses the same suspension from the RB15.
I’m not calling it an RB15 with a different paint job, but mechanically I wouldn’t call it a “completely new car” either given the way in which the team have talked about integrating the back end of the RB15 onto the AT01.
ColdFly (@)
15th February 2020, 14:37
Fair point anonymous, although I was commenting on the parts we can see (primarily aerodynamic) and those are quite different from last year’s RBR car.
Arthur
14th February 2020, 19:38
It looks great!! I like the basic colours, the huge Alphatauri logo on the back and it is great to see the red Honda logo stand out from the rest.
Aleš Norský (@gpfacts)
14th February 2020, 21:29
+1
Phylyp (@phylyp)
14th February 2020, 19:40
Nice livery. It no longer looks like RBR’s sad little brother.
erikje
14th February 2020, 20:23
I always saw the TR cars as the most beautiful ones.
Norris#4
14th February 2020, 20:32
Red Bull sugar free
Jere (@jerejj)
14th February 2020, 19:41
Nice livery.
Adam (@rocketpanda)
14th February 2020, 19:42
I like it actually. I suppose I’d rather the blue/black colour was a bit more vibrantly blue, as from a distance it might be hard to tell it apart from the Haas. But apart from that it’s a nice loooking car.
Broke1984 (@broke1984)
14th February 2020, 19:43
I always rated Torro rosso’s livery over red bull but I admit I like this, fills the white void left by Williams and Sauber.
Phylyp (@phylyp)
14th February 2020, 20:19
@broke1984 – as someone who wasn’t a fan of the earlier TR livery (it looked too much like a drinks can to me), could you tell me what was it that appealed to you? Was it the vibrant colours compared to the RBR? Or the shine instead of the matte finish? Or something else, like the colours used?
Broke1984 (@broke1984)
15th February 2020, 8:13
@phylyp Hi. I liked the shade of blue, and use of silver etc plus the shine as you said.
Phylyp (@phylyp)
15th February 2020, 8:15
@broke1984 – thanks, always nice to hear other people’s perspectives!
Oxnard (@montalvo)
14th February 2020, 19:44
I like that Honda gets to stand out as the only sponsor in another color than light grey or very dark blue.
Only Facts!
14th February 2020, 22:54
After Gasly won the drag race against Hamilton in Interlagos last year, they should be very proud of to have Honda logo in brightest colors.
Michael Brown
14th February 2020, 19:55
Fantastic combo – Japanese racing white and RB blue
Pironi the Provocateur (@pironitheprovocateur)
14th February 2020, 20:08
The idea is interesting, the execution bit clumsy. The Alpha Tauri sign is just too big and the line dividing the dark blue and white doesn’t go with the flow of the car. Moreover, there’s too much white in the lower parts which makes the car seem too robust. White isn’t a particularly fortunate solution for this generation of F1 cars.
RB13
15th February 2020, 17:07
@pironitheprovocateur you are entirely incorrect, it looks fantastic.
ColdFly (@)
15th February 2020, 17:37
@pironitheprovocateur, your opinion is entirely different from mine; I think it looks fantastic.
FTFY RB13
Newfangled (@newfangled)
14th February 2020, 20:28
:O :O :O Beautiful. What a an absolute stunner! That red Honda logo is the icing on the cake. Hope it looks as good on track, but wow, what a perfectly poised livery. Best looking car I’ve seen in years.
RB13
15th February 2020, 17:08
+1
Looks like a concept livery that we all like seeing so much. Looks amazing on track also
hahostolze (@hahostolze)
14th February 2020, 20:30
As a car, this is by far my favourite. But as a livery it’s garbage
Ben Rowe (@thegianthogweed)
14th February 2020, 20:35
oh wait….. This is not alfa romeo. I need to remember that it isn’t alfa romeo changing their name, but toro rosso chaning it to something too similar. I got so confused and thought “since when did this team run Honda engine?”, then I realised it was the renamed Toro Rosso. It was a blank moment but I don’t think I’ll be the only one getting confused at times early on in the year. I wonder how many mistakes we’ll get from crofty who often makes mistakes when the difference is obvious.
Duncan Snowden
15th February 2020, 13:43
Yeah, it’s not going to work, is it? I don’t think it’s just going to be one of those “early in the year” things either, because there’s no getting around the fact that there will be four “Alph/fas” on the grid. Even if we all collectively decide to give this lot their full name, it’s not ideal. Something’s going to have to give, and Alfa Romeo has 110 years’ prior claim.
I remember when Red Bull took over, they encouraged the use of the “STR” acronym in order to emphasize the “Scuderia” part of the name. It’s still there, apparently: Scuderia AlphaTauri. So, “SAT”, anyone? It hardly trips off the tongue, but at least it would avoid confusion.
I think I’ll just call them Minardis.
Rick D. (@partsguy20)
14th February 2020, 20:54
Sharp livery, reminds me of the old Compaq livery on the BMW Williams a long time ago.
I like that Honda’s logo placement is so prominent, and being the only thing in red it really stands out. As for the car, we’ll know in a month or so if it’s fast!
Minardi (@gitanes)
14th February 2020, 21:53
Yeah that top view looks just like Button ‘a first car with #10.
I quite like it but will miss the metallic blue from the past few years.
Sensord4notbeingafanboi (@peartree)
14th February 2020, 21:25
Haas always seem to pick the wrong livery, there is always a clash.
Honda dependent, this might be, like the mclaren, a ferrari challenger.
Fer no.65 (@fer-no65)
14th February 2020, 21:52
What a horrible, uninspired livery. Such a huge change from the previous one, which I felt was consistently the best on the grid since it was introduced.
This and the Haas are by far the worst for now.
Kristof Michiels
15th February 2020, 9:07
+1
What’s up with all the unimaginitive black and white the latest years?
Srdjan Mandic (@srga91)
14th February 2020, 22:01
Finally, Andrea Moda is back in F1 ;-)
Kevin A (@deryne)
14th February 2020, 23:32
I really like it, something different :)
Robbie (@robbie)
15th February 2020, 0:36
Me likey
Qeki (@qeki)
15th February 2020, 2:57
I’m not so sure what I think of that livery. Reminds me about BMW-Sauber. It’s good to have something new on the grid but that thing isn’t beautiful or ugly. Somewhere between maybe time will tell if it looks good at the race track.
budchekov (@budchekov)
15th February 2020, 2:57
Yep, it’s pretty darn cool, desktop cool in fact, should really easy to spot in the field, somewhat related, I wish Renault would ‘paint’ the whole car French Racing Blue.
budchekov (@budchekov)
15th February 2020, 2:59
Sigh… should be ..
Michael Brown
15th February 2020, 4:30
I came up with a new name for the team : STRAT !
Scuderia Toro Rosso Alpha Tauri
Charles
15th February 2020, 8:16
Very amateur looking…
RatSack
15th February 2020, 9:16
Someone needs to replace the colour ink cartridges in the Alpha Tauri desgn office’s printer. They only seem to have a tiny amount of red left
Bio
15th February 2020, 10:07
They ruined the best F1 livery with this new colors combo
budchekov (@budchekov)
15th February 2020, 13:33
Hmm..So ‘Fits Body and Mind’ refers to the fashion line but “Vitalizes Body and Mind.®” is a RedBull ‘claim/liner’; clever.
Could it also refer to some secret Nicotine laced underwear?
Paulsf1fix
15th February 2020, 17:05
The livery reminds of the Mercedes one from Germany last year. I wish the car had a bit more colour on it though.
nickthegreek (@nickthegreek)
17th February 2020, 11:33
I like it