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AlphaTauri Name Change

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cosworth151:
AlphaTauri is getting a new sponsor and a new name - Visa Cash App RB. The Visa logo will also appear on the RBR cars.

The new image will be revealed at the team's launch event in Las Vegas on February 8.

https://www.autoweek.com/racing/formula-1/a46520152/alphatauri-f1-team-new-sponsor-new-name/

Jericoke:
I understand sponsorship for naming a team.  We don't bat an eye with Aston Martin, Alfa Romeo.  Even Mercedes and Alpine aren't really parts of their respective companies except on a spreadsheet somewhere.

Red Bull has always been a little different for sure.  They really do have an evocative name.  If the drinks stopped selling tomorrow, and they continued as a race team for another 20 years as Red Bull, I don't think anyone would even question it.  Toro Rosso was a great way to keep the branding and honour their Italian based team.  Alpha Tauri wasn't as a good, but as a Red Bull owned co brand, made a degree of sense.

Visa on the other hand is like... either a piece of paper saying you're allowed in, or a credit card that says you're in debt.  Neither is evocative.  And Cash App sounds like something a drunk tech bro wanna be would come up with 'Listen... listen... listen.... an app... for cash'.  (Side note, as a Canadian, we have a company called Interac that is a joint partnership between several of our banks.  I can send money from my phone, for free, directly from my banking app to another Canadian, at another bank, with their own banking app. Interac handles the details, but I don't deal with Interac at all. Having a third party vendor who sponsors billion dollar F1 teams feels unseemly)

I do understand the importance of having a 'title' sponsor too.  Cognizant Aston Martin doesn't roll of the tongue, so we just call it Aston Martin and don't care that Cognizant shows up all over their official materials.  What are we supposed to do when Tsunoda and Ricciardo crash out?  'There goes the Visa Cash App RB of Tsunoda up in smoke?' 

Surely there's something better they could have come up with.  Red Bull is supposed to be the best marketing company in the world.  The Visa Racers sounds fine.  Cash App Cars.  VCA Race Team? 

John S:
Just use the acronym & call it VCARB like most other people seem to want to do, Jeri.  ;)

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