Racing Bulls CEO Peter Bayer is not worried about accusations that his team is simply a Red Bull B team. Anyone who was F1 sporting director at the FIA knows that Haas has a similar arrangement with Ferrari, and that Williams works jointly with Mercedes.
“Honestly, it doesn’t irritate me because, having spent enough time at the FIA, I know how other teams work together” Bayer told Planet F1.
“I said the other day, and I think I can repeat it, that I'm sure Ferrari and Haas work more closely than Red Bull Racing and us. I understand it's a tough competition.
“Everyone is trying to throw stones in each other's way. But if you look, take a step back and listen to our drivers and our engineers – listen to their feedback. You will hear that our car is different. It's not is simply not a copy, otherwise we wouldn't be here.”
“Secondly, you hear the comments from our guys and when you hear Ollie Bearman, who drove the Haas and the Ferrari, when asked what the difference is between the two cars, he said 'the color!'.”
“For the 2026 rules, nothing has changed because I think everyone, deep down, knows that it's not because you share a suspension or a gearbox that you will go faster. This allows simply for small teams to focus on other things in terms of time, money and development.”
“And we see now, with the arrival of the 11th team, with the exception of Williams and us, that all the teams have a link with the engine manufacturer. I think if there was a competitive advantage in buying a suspension, then Williams would move away and make their own rear suspension.”
“They're probably moving away from it for cost reasons, but if they were faster, I guarantee you they would find a way to buy this Mercedes suspension – because it's a challenge.”
“There is also a challenge in terms of design. For example, the big teams wait until the end of the season to release the latest specifications, and so we have to wait. Honestly, it's much ado about nothing.”
Racing Bulls has chosen to switch to Red Bull suspension, and Bayer explains why.
“Synergies are a subject that the shareholders asked us, telling us to see where we can collaborate. It must be 100% legal, black and white, that there are no zones shadow.”
“In 2023, AlphaTauri used its own suspension, but I think that is money that has not been invested in the best possible way. Indeed, if we can buy it, let's buy it and focus -us on other aspects.”
“The floor, for example, because that's where you need people and man hours in the carbon department. That's where the focus needs to be, so for us as a team, I think it’s just a change of direction.”
In addition to the technical aspect, the synergies are also commercial: “When it comes to marketing collaborations, Visa, for example, is on both cars. So that gives you an advantage when you go to market. It also provides economies of scale.”
