VCARB Reveals Huge Impact Of Multi-Million Dollar Setback From 2024 Championship Results

VCARB CEO Peter Bayer has disclosed the impact of a multi-million dollar setback from the 2024 season, in which the team finished eighth in the Constructors' Championship. Initially projected to secure sixth place before the summer break, the Red Bull junior F1 team’s two-position drop resulted in a reported $20 million loss.

VCARB finished in the same position in 2023, but a strong first half of the 2024 season raised hopes of securing a higher finish and increased prize money to invest in the 2025 season. However, Alpine's sudden surge in performance during a wet and difficult Sao Paulo Grand Prix, where Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly finished second and third, meant it gathered a significant chunk of points, enough to surpass teams like VCARB and Haas to secure the sixth position in the championship.

Speaking of Haas, the American outfit showcased considerable improvement in performance, finishing one place below Alpine in seventh, as opposed to its tenth-place finish in 2023. Bayer stated that dropping from P6 to P8 cost VCARB valuable revenue that could have been used for Testing of Previous Cars sessions for rookie driver Isack Hadjar, marketing efforts, and planned upgrades to its Faenza headquarters. Revealing the effect of a drop in prize money, Bayer told RacingNews365:

"We have ambitious plans for the team. Something we haven't been able to do yet, mostly due to financial reasons but also due to limitations on the PU side, is TPCs.

"You see all the big teams now, and Mercedes and Kimi Antonelli are the best example, with kids sitting in a car almost every weekend.

"There were plenty of teams testing on current F1 tracks throughout the season. You can say what you want, but it does give you an advantage of knowing the track, and of the team being well prepared.

"The car is maybe not the same, but still you're going at F1 speed. It's important.

"Things like that, those extras, everything that comes on top of the must-haves, they are directly impacted by such a budget reduction that comes with a loss of prize money."

Speaking about the promotion and marketing opportunities that the team might have to sacrifice this season if it goes into "saving mode," Bayer added:

"On the marketing side, we would want to do more in terms of activations outside of the paddock, something that, as a team, we have always done.

"For example, in Vegas, we hosted our garage sessions, a party outside of the track, opening up Formula 1 to fans, democratising the sport.

"Liam [Lawson] and Yuki both went there, it was a party location in downtown Vegas, somewhere you would never, ever see a Formula 1 driver, but those things do cost money.

"If we have to go into saving mode to protect the performance side, then those things might suffer."

He added:

"I'm also looking at the facility.

"I've a couple of ideas on how to extend the facility. We should renovate the old Minardi building. We need to do some work on that building.

"It's those bits that will be affected, definitely."