What if Red Bull solved its second-car problem with a paint job?

The saga surrounding Yuki Tsunoda’s promotion and Liam Lawson’s demotion to Racing Bulls is thus: for years now, round and thru Max Verstappen’s a number of world titles, Crimson Bull has been a one-car Components 1 squad.

Since Daniel Ricciardo’s exit from the height of his F1 profession in 2018, Pierre Gasly, Alex Albon, Sergio Perez and now Lawson have tried and failed to deal with driving a automotive principally organized to swimsuit the uber-pointy front-end choice of Max Verstappen throughout the Crimson Bull storage. That’s by two totally different design guidelines eras.

Resplendent in one-off white, Tsunoda will begin his try and keep away from becoming a member of that record at this weekend’s Japanese Grand Prix.

However, from the seriousness of Perez’s incapability to match Verstappen’s factors hauls in 2021 and 2024 costing Crimson Bull two constructors’ championships, a wry remark from throughout the F1 paddock final trip on the Chinese language GP hinted there is likely to be a fast repair for Christian Horner’s squad.

Given Verstappen was suggesting in Shanghai that the Racing Bulls automotive is “simpler to drive than ours”, then why wouldn’t an answer be to color a VCARB 02 to run within the chosen colors of the second Crimson Bull?

The upsides for Crimson Bull can be clear.

It might think about fettling the RB21 to maintain giving Verstappen the sturdy entrance finish he desires however scale back the confidence-sapping rear finish snaps that even his prodigious expertise can’t tame after they randomly strike.

On the similar time, whoever is deigned to be Verstappen’s team-mate on any given weekend – he’s about to have a 3rd in simply 4 grands prix, since Abu Dhabi final yr – would get to drive the extra compliant Racing Bulls bundle, with its barely increased trip peak normally making it simpler to drive.

There’s even historic F1 examples of groups fielding very totally different automotive specs – from the low- and high-downforce Crimson Bull RB20 packages Perez and Verstappen have been respectively operating ultimately yr’s Hungarian GP, to McLaren coming into its common M7A vehicles (organized in three totally different specs) in addition to the one-off four-wheel drive M9A on the 1969 British GP.

Clearly, this being the relentlessly actual fashionable world, Crimson Bull’s F1 rivals would object to such a gambit because the championship has lengthy moved on from this being allowed.

They’d have the authorized foundation to cease this plan in its tracks (which doesn’t cease it being an intriguing dialogue in a sphere as intricate and interesting as motorsport).

The principle rule such an try would fall afoul of is Article 17.3 (and its many sub-categories) of F1’s technical laws, which covers “Listed Group Elements” (LTC). This limits groups to including particular components (together with all aerodynamic surfaces) to their vehicles for in-competition use that they’ve designed themselves.

Then there may be additionally rule Article 17.5 on Transferable Elements (TRC), which covers components that groups can construct after which promote to others.

That is significantly pertinent to the Crimson Bull/Racing Bulls state of affairs given they share many mechanical components – together with suspension for each entrance and rear axles, plus gearboxes.

Max Verstappen, Crimson Bull Racing, Isack Hadjar, RB F1 Group

Picture by: Crimson Bull Content material Pool

F1’s technical guidelines additionally embody Customary Provide Elements (SSC) and Open Supply Elements (OSC) components provide that cowl particular (and usually not performance-influencing) parts of vehicles which might be outsourced in manufacturing phrases to suppliers. This could embody different squads.

Though such guidelines have been tweaked through the years – primarily round Haas’s arrival as an F1 competitor utilizing as many listed components produced by Ferrari as permitted again in 2016 – Crimson Bull is definitely the primary motive why guidelines that ban buyer vehicles exist within the first place.

Since late 2005, Crimson Bull has owned each its eponymous squad and its many-named junior crew, which led to the advanced outlawing of two groups operating near-identical designs again in 2010.

As a kicker, F1’s guidelines (Article 17.2.4 and 17.2.6 of the 2025 technical laws) even prohibit Crimson Bull transferring workers between its two squads to share any concepts.

And Crimson Bull couldn’t even use footage, scans or video footage to duplicate Racing Bulls’s compliant bundle for one automotive – it must expend its personal sources conducting the analysis behind such designs.

In the fee cap period, that’s more durable than ever and, actually, a headache Crimson Bull might do with out because it continues its self-set job of offering Verstappen with a automotive to swimsuit his genius wants that doesn’t destroy the possibilities of his team-mate. And, proper now, that doesn’t even add as much as the quickest automotive for only one Crimson Bull driver…