AlphaTauri have been rebranded as the Visa CashApp RB team ahead of the new Formula One season as part of a partnership between Visa and Red Bull.

Red Bull and Visa announced a new, multi-year global partnership on Wednesday afternoon which will see new livery appearing on the cars of reigning world champion Max Verstappen and team-mate Sergio Perez.

The agreement will also see Visa become the named sponsor of the rebranded AlphaTauri team, Red Bull’s sister marque.

The Visa CashApp RB team will make their debut at the 2024 season opener in Bahrain in March, with Daniel Ricciardo and Yuki Tsunoda behind the wheel.

Previously known as Toro Rosso, AlphaTauri was introduced onto the F1 grid in 2020 in order for Red Bull to promote their fashion brand of the same name.

While known as AlphaTauri, the team managed one win in 83 race entries as Pierre Gasly took the chequered flag at the 2020 Italian Grand Prix at Monza.

Future Red Bull world champions Verstappen and Sebastian Vettel both raced under team’s guise of Toro Rosso, with the latter taking the sole victory of the previous incarnation.

Daniel Ricciardo is “ready to go” as he prepares to return from injury for this weekend’s United States Grand Prix.

The 34-year-old Australian has missed the past five races after he broke his left hand in practice for the Dutch Grand Prix on August 25.

Ricciardo, who took part in a Red Bull demonstration run in Nashville last weekend, will be back in his AlphaTauri cockpit for practice at Austin’s Circuit of the Americas on Friday.

New Zealander Liam Lawson, who has impressed as Ricciardo’s stand-in, will make way.

He said: “It’s good to be back! My hand is much better and the simulator was a useful way of assessing it.

“I tried it out in the week before Qatar, but I didn’t feel it was at full potential, so I spent the rest of that week in the UK, spending more time in the sim, and got to a point where I felt ready to go.

“My overall fitness is fine as I kept training as much as I could, although I obviously couldn’t do much with my left hand or arm for a while.

“It was definitely frustrating watching the past few races, especially as I’d gotten myself to a place where I was so ready to go again and race, and then I did two events and had to hit pause again, but actually, the time without racing went quite quickly.”

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Ricciardo was due to take part in only his third comeback race when he crashed in Zandvoort. He was immediately taken to the medical centre before he was transported to a nearby hospital with his left arm in a sling.

A subsequent X-ray confirmed Ricciardo had sustained a break to the metacarpal on his left hand.

Ricciardo was ruled out of the race in Holland and the following rounds in Italy, Singapore, Japan and Qatar.

Ricciardo was handed a second chance by Red Bull’s junior team AlphaTauri following his dismissal by McLaren at the end of last season.

Despite his injury, AlphaTauri announced last month that they have retained the eight-time grand prix winner winner for 2024 alongside Japanese driver Yuki Tsunoda.

Daniel Ricciardo has said he needed to fall back in love with Formula One before taking the opportunity to return to racing with AlphaTauri.

The eight-time grand prix winner has not driven in anger since he was axed by McLaren at the end of last season, but will make a surprise return to the grid at the Hungarian Grand Prix next week after replacing Nyck De Vries at Red Bull’s junior team AlphaTauri.

The 34-year-old Australian’s career looked to be all but over after he was deemed surplus to requirements by McLaren following two underwhelming seasons with the British team.

Ricciardo did return to Red Bull as a reserve driver, but said he needed the enforced time off to ask himself if he really did want to return to racing.

“Falling out of love with it took a hit on my confidence and of course if you’re competing in a sport where you’re trying to be the best at something, the best in the world at something, obviously you need full confidence and belief,” Ricciardo said in an interview on F1’s YouTube channel.

“When that starts to diminish a bit, your enjoyment drops a bit as well. There’s a lot of factors. Getting back to Red Bull, just the reception I had walking back into that team was in a positive way a little bit overwhelming.

“Getting back on the sim, I was a bit unsure how it was going to go, if the car would feel like it used to, if I was going to be like – for the lack of better words – ‘the old me’.

“But once I’d done a few sim sessions and started feeling like myself again it brought me back to normal Daniel where I was falling back in love and ready to go again.”

Ricciardo said attending the Super Bowl in Arizona in February reminded him of the buzz of a competitive environment, while being at his home grand prix in Melbourne and then the Monaco race helped him get the Formula One bug back.

“I’ve enjoyed these six months off and it was really good for me but the more races I started to attend, the more sims I’ve started to do, I was getting the bug back. And then jumping in the car a few days ago I thought, ‘Oh yeah’. It all felt very normal, very familiar…

“I didn’t really need to think too much about (accepting the call to return). I think being back in this family, I’m kind of going through it all again…there was no question I was going to say yes.”

Ricciardo said joining AlphaTauri for the rest of the season was like going “full circle” given he raced the team, then known as Toro Rosso, in 2012 and 2013, after starting his F1 career with HRT Racing in 2011.

AlphaTauri sit last in the constructor’s championship after the opening 10 races of the season and Ricciardo is under no illusions that he will be racing a top-end car any time soon.

“I’m excited about it,” he said. “It’s a challenge for sure to jump in and try to hit the ground running. But also I guess I feel like I’ve been through a lot in the last few years where I’m not really scared of anything that’s going to be thrown my way – so I actually really do like the challenge.

“It will be a challenge but I don’t know if I’d have it any other way.”

Red Bull will not be selling its second Formula One team AlphaTauri, team principal Franz Tost confirmed.

Reports Germany over the weekend suggested Red Bull's senior management was considering the sale of the team or a relocation from their current base in Faenza, Italy to Milton Keynes, England.

However, a sale has been ruled out in a statement issued by Tost on Wednesday.

"I had some very good meetings with Oliver Mintzlaff [Red Bull's CEO of corporate projects and new investments], who confirmed that the shareholders will not sell Scuderia AlphaTauri, and that Red Bull will continue supporting the team in the future," he said.

"All these rumours have no foundation, and the team has to remain focused for the start of the season to perform better than last year."

Red Bull has owned AlphaTauri – previously known as Toro Rosso – since 2006 and serves as a steppingstone to the senior team for younger drivers.

Speculation of changes across the F1 grid are ever present, with Audi set to take over naming rights of Sauber next season before becoming an official factory team in 2026.

Porsche are also looking to join their sister company the same year, while American motorsport giants Andretti have confirmed their desire to enter F1.

Pierre Gasly says the "embarrassing" threat of a looming race ban is "a very unpleasant situation" as he prepares for this weekend's Sao Paulo Grand Prix.

The AlphaTauri driver, who will move to Alpine next year, has amassed 10 penalty points so far this term, leaving him two shy of the threshold to automatically trigger a one-race suspension.

If he reaches a dozen at Interlagos, he will miss the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix next weekend, while his remaining points remain valid for a year, meaning he could still be banned next season - with Brazil the first of nine races where the threat of a ban looms over him. 

Gasly feels the sanctions have been tough on him however, and says he is in dialogue with the FIA to seek clarification on rulings in order to avoid incurring any time spent off-track.

"I'm not going to lie, it's a very unpleasant situation and quite delicate," he stated. "In some ways, [it is] a bit embarrassing to be standing in a position where I could be banned for a race after the season that I've [had].

"I don't really feel like I've been particularly dangerous over these last 12 months and that would definitely be a harsh penalty.

"I've been discussing it quite a lot with the FIA to try and find solutions because the way the regulation is written at the moment, it's quite strict on the drivers, even though it's not always related to dangerous driving."

"I hope we can find solutions out of the weekend to avoid ending up in a silly situation where I'll be banned for a race. That would be terrible for myself and definitely not the way. I don't think that's the correct approach."

Gasly's penalty points have mostly been amassed through collisions this term, including with Lance Stroll in Spain and Sebastian Vettel in Austria.

He was also handed points for exceeding red flag limits during a controversial Japanese Grand Prix.

Sergio Perez considered an incident when a tractor appeared on the track ahead of Pierre Gasly at the Japanese Grand Prix "the lowest point" in Formula One "for years".

Dreadful conditions in Suzuka saw a series of crashes on the first lap on Sunday, with the safety car almost immediately introduced.

The race was then red-flagged on lap three, but Gasly passed a tractor – seemingly recovering Carlos Sainz's crashed Ferrari – as he was still driving around the track, with the incident appearing to occur just seconds after drivers had been notified of the red flag.

As the cars returned to the pit lane and waited for the rain to ease, a number of drivers took to social media to angrily point out how dangerous that moment was.

Jules Bianchi was the last F1 driver to suffer a fatal crash, which happened in Japan in 2014 when he hit a recovery vehicle.

"That's the lowest point we've seen in the sport for years," Red Bull's Perez said. "What happened today just makes me so angry.

"I just hope ever in the sport we never get to see this situation ever again. It's putting all the drivers at risk.

"We saw what happened here a few years ago with our friend Jules, and absolutely I don't care about what was the reason for that. It should never happen again, ever in any category."

Gasly was later handed a 20-second penalty by the FIA for speeding under red flag conditions, but he described his fear as he encountered the tractor.

"We lost Jules already," Gasly said. "We all lost an amazing guy, an amazing driver for the reasons that we know – eight years ago, on the same track, in the same conditions, with a crane.

"How? How today can we see a crane not even on the gravel, on the race track while we are still on the track? I don't understand that.

"Obviously, I got scared; obviously, if I would have lost the car in a similar way that Carlos lost it in the lap before, it doesn't matter the speed – 200, 100 – I would have just died. It's as simple as that.

"I don't understand. It's disrespectful to Jules, disrespectful to his family."

The AlphaTauri man added: "I'm just extremely grateful that I'm here. Tonight, I'm going to call my family and all my loved ones.

"The outcome is the way that it is because I passed two metres from that crane. If I would have been two metres to the left, I would have been dead."

Max Verstappen learned he had sealed another Formula One world title only after winning a rain-shortened Japanese Grand Prix on Sunday.

It had appeared Verstappen would be made to wait until Austin to confirm a second consecutive championship, as his hopes of getting the job done at Suzuka were rocked by heavy rain.

Even when Verstappen crossed the line in first place with just over half the race completed, title rival Charles Leclerc looked to have clung on to second to delay his title celebrations.

But Leclerc's late move to stay ahead of Sergio Perez landed him a five-second penalty, putting the Ferrari man in third and no longer within reach of Verstappen.

The victory for Verstappen moved him clear of Red Bull team-mate Perez, too, and the Dutchman was informed of his triumph only after his initial parc ferme interview.

It made for a bizarre conclusion to a long and controversial day, with initial attempts to start the race lasting mere minutes.

The safety car was out by the end of a first lap that had seen Leclerc briefly get ahead of pole-sitter Verstappen, only to trail again by Turn 1.

A series of incidents behind them in the awful conditions led to a yellow flag, and proceedings were red-flagged by the third lap.

The delay that followed lasted more than two hours, with Verstappen eventually resuming behind the safety car with only 45 minutes available in the race's three-hour window.

A sprint to the finish was without any drama at the front, though, and the title was instead decided by the battle for second as Leclerc left the track and then forced Perez wide.

Pierre Gasly was furious as he suggested he was put in danger by a recovery tractor at the rain-disrupted Japanese Grand Prix on Sunday.

The race at Suzuka lasted less than a lap under a downpour before a safety car was brought out, with a red flag soon following after a number of early incidents.

Among them, AlphaTauri's Gasly – who has just agreed a move to Alpine – made contact with an advertising board, which then became lodged in his front wing, further impacting his already reduced visibility.

But Gasly was still driving behind the safety car when he passed a tractor on the track recovering Carlos Sainz's car.

"I could have f***ing killed myself," Gasly fumed.

The most recent fatal accident in Formula One occurred at Suzuka in 2014 when Jules Bianchi collided with a recovery vehicle in wet conditions.

A widely reported FIA response sought to explain the incident with Gasly, saying the race had been red-flagged by the time he encountered the tractor.

"The safety car had been deployed and the race neutralised," the FIA said. "Car 10, which had collected damage and pitted behind the safety car, was then driving at high speed to catch up to the field.

"As conditions were deteriorating, the red flag was shown before Car 10 passed the location of the incident where it had been damaged the previous lap."

The incident was set to be reviewed again after the race, which still had not restarted an hour after the red flag.

AlphaTauri driver Yuki Tsunoda will remain with the team for another season after penning an extension through the 2023 Formula One campaign.

The Japanese driver, who joined the Italian outfit at the start of 2021, has spent two years alongside team-mate Pierre Gasly, earning 32 points last term and 43 to date.

He also posted his best race result with fourth place at the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, though he has struggled for form this year, with no top-10 finish since the Spanish Grand Prix in May.

Amid suggestions Colton Herta could have made the move to the team for next year however, AlphaTauri have shown faith in the 22-year-old with a fresh deal.

"I want to say a huge thank you to Red Bull, Honda and Scuderia AlphaTauri for continuing to give me the opportunity to drive in F1," Tsunoda stated

"Having moved to Italy last year, to be closer to the factory, I really feel part of the team and am glad that I get to carry on racing with them in 2023.

"Of course, our 2022 season isn't over yet and we're still pushing hard in the midfield battle, so I’m fully focused on finishing it on a high and then we will look forward to next year."

Tsunoda's renewal locks out AlphaTauri's lineup for next year, with Gasly also retained, as F1 prepares for a record 24-race calendar next season.

Max Verstappen, Sergio Perez and Carlos Sainz are among five drivers set to receive grid penalties for Sunday's Italian Grand Prix, joining Lewis Hamilton.

Mercedes confirmed on Thursday that Hamilton would be subject to penalties after taking a fourth power unit of the season, the seven-time world champion to start from the back of the grid having taken a new engine component everywhere barring control electronics and energy store.

Red Bull duo Verstappen and Perez will face penalties for exceeding their allocations of internal combustion engines, Verstappen now on his fifth, landing a five-place penalty, and Perez on his fourth, resulting in a 10-place penalty.

Ferrari's Sainz will receive an 20-place penalty after taking new gearbox components and an energy store, while AlphaTauri's Yuki Tsunoda will add to his penalties with an array of new power unit components, having already been given a 10-place penalty for accumulating five reprimands over the course of the season.

Finally, Alfa Romeo's Valtteri Bottas will join former team-mate Hamilton and Tsunoda at the back of the grid after taking new engine components.

Ahead of Friday's practice session, a minute's silence was held following the passing of the Queen on Thursday and all 10 teams posted messages on their social media channels after the news was announced.

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff believes Yuki Tsunoda's mid-race stoppage at the Dutch Grand Prix may have cost Lewis Hamilton a shot at victory over Max Verstappen.

The Briton looked on course for a first win of a difficult season, having seldom been near the pace of his Red Bull rival following last year's enthralling title battle.

But a virtual safety car stoppage for Alpha Tauri's Tsunoda two-thirds into the race handed Verstappen a free pit stop, before a physical safety car later on allowed the world champion to make another change and overtake Hamilton.

Tsunoda stopped his car after reporting issues with his tyres, removing his safety belts before being ordered to drive back to the pits. His belts were checked and he drove for four more corners, before being told to stop again by his team.

Hamilton was ultimately forced to settle for fourth, behind Verstappen, team-mate George Russell and Ferrari's Charles Leclerc.

Red Bull principal Christian Horner suggested the stoppage of Tsunoda had no effect on the outcome of the race, but Wolff felt the decision to send the Alpha Tauri – Red Bull's sibling team – back out likely cost Hamilton.

"If we were to fight for a championship, that would be something I would closely look at," he stated when asked if the FIA should review the incident.

"Now, I think what needs to be investigated for the safety of drivers and everybody out there.

"The driver stopped, unbuckled, did a full lap, came in, the problem wasn't solved, they put the seatbelts back on and he drove out and stopped the car again.

"That probably has changed the outcome of the race that we maybe could have won.

"I think we would have had a fair shot at the win. The race planner said the win was on. It was very close, but it was on."

Red Bull are attempting to secure a Formula One licence for IndyCar driver Colton Herta, to allow him to succeed Pierre Gasly in their AlphaTauri team next year.

The Austrian motorsport giants, who boast Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez as the main drivers for their eponymous F1 lead team, face a battle to gain an exemption as the 22-year-old Herta does not have enough points to qualify under the FIA's system.

Gasly, who took AlphaTauri's first win at the 2020 Italian Grand Prix, is wanted by Alpine to succeed Aston Martin-bound Fernando Alonso.

Herta is the preferred replacement, though the task of convincing the FIA – motorsport's world governing body – to allow his move may be a tough challenge

Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko is hopeful of securing a licence, telling SpeedCity Broadcasting on SiriusXM he believes there should be an answer before the Italian Grand Prix next weekend.

"We looked at the regulations, we discussed it with the FIA," Marko said. "So it's nothing unreasonable. He won seven IndyCar races and that's comparable to a grand prix I think, so it would be a shame if he wouldn't get a super-licence."

Herta enjoyed a two-day testing session with McLaren in July, when he said: "It was different from anything I have ever driven before, but it felt pretty seamless."

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner said no departure for Gasly would be sanctioned unless AlphaTauri could secure Herta for next year.

"We just need clarity which will hopefully come sooner rather than later, because it holds a key role in the driver merry-go-round," Horner said, quoted by the BBC.

"If the option is not there, the other triggers will not come into play. He is an exciting talent, a young American guy who has been a stand-out talent in the US.

"It will be very interesting to see how he performs in F1. To have a successful US driver could be very interesting.

"Pierre is doing a good job in AlphaTauri. There would not be a desire to change if there was not an interesting option available."

The first domino in the Formula One driver market has fallen with Aston Martin's confirmation that Fernando Alonso will be driving for the team in 2023.

Sebastian Vettel's retirement announcement ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix was always going to lead to movement on the grid but Alonso's move from Alpine is a significant statement of intent from the Silverstone-based team.

Alpine are currently vying for the best of the rest tag in 2022, alongside McLaren, while it has been a year to forget so far for Aston Martin – but they still boast one of the most recognisable brands on the grid and Alonso is a stellar acquisition.

There will be further movement, with a number of teams yet to confirm their full driver line-up for the 2023 season – with Alpine, Haas, Alfa Romeo, AlphaTauri having one spot open, while Williams have not confirmed either driver.

That leaves six seats up for grabs as it stands, with some of the outcomes easier to analyse than others – Alonso's departure from Alpine solves their headache as it leaves a slot open for reserve driver Oscar Piastri.

The Australian was already heavily tipped to take a seat on the grid for 2023 but, with Esteban Ocon and Alonso at Alpine, just where that spot would open was up for debate, with a Williams move touted, but it should now be a fairly easy decision.

For Williams, it could result in the continuation of their partnership with Mercedes. With Alex Albon expected to retain his seat, a replacement for Nicolas Latifi is on the agenda and the leading option may now be Nyck de Vries.

Toto Wolff had already conceded that De Vries, who is on their young driver programme, could be let go in order for him to open avenues in F1, but a seat becoming available at Williams would be perfect for all parties – potentially lining-up De Vries as Lewis Hamilton's long-term successor.

Another option for Williams is Jamie Chadwick, who has dominated the W series and has her eyes set on a seat in F1, though she has expressed doubt as to whether women can cope with the physical demands of the series.

Seats at Haas, Alfa Romeo and AlphaTauri are harder to assess but Mick Schumacher could play a pivotal role for the trio. Yet to be confirmed by Haas for 2023, the young Ferrari driver could make a sidewards move to continue his F1 career.

Given AlphaTauri's relationship with Red Bull, Alfa Romeo seems the more likely option for Schumacher if he was to depart Haas and an opportunity to drive alongside Valtteri Bottas could aid his development – though Alfa Romeo have a young talent of their own waiting in the wings in the form of Theo Pourchaire.

Felipe Drugovich, the runaway leader in F2 this season, and American Logan Sargeant are alternative options within the young driver ranks, while both have additional appeal due to their respective nationalities, Brazil and the United States, both of which are areas of growth for F1.

The break period in the F1 season is usually the time where teams line everything up for the next year, so the next few weeks before the season resumes in Belgium are likely to be extremely busy – and there could be some surprises in store.

AlphaTauri have confirmed Pierre Gasly's seat at the team for 2023 amid speculation he could depart.

The French driver is contracted with the team until the end of next season but, following Sergio Perez's two-year extension at Red Bull, questions on Gasly's fate emerged given his desire to return to the team in the future.

However, AlphaTauri boss Franz Tost has remained resolute, saying that Gasly was "100 per cent confirmed" at last weekend's Canadian Grand Prix, and the team has now issued an official statement.

 "The 26-year-old Frenchman has been with us since 2017 and this continuity will be a great asset, as he enjoys an excellent working relationship with his group of engineers and everyone in the team," they said.

"Pierre is a proven race winner, with three podiums and three fastest race laps and to date, he has scored a total of 325 points in Formula 1. He has also developed a reputation as a very strong qualifier."

Gasly expressed his delight at the confirmation, stating: "I have been with this team for five years now and I am proud of the journey we’ve been through together and the progress we have made. 

"I’m happy to remain with my Scuderia AlphaTauri team. This year’s new regulations have created new challenges for us and being able to plan our development with the team for the next 18 months is a good working basis for the future."

Gasly has secured 16 points for his team this season following three top-10 finishes, the highest of which came with a sixth-placed finish in Azerbaijan.

Pierre Gasly believes Ferrari could be the team to watch in the 2021 Formula One season even though Mercedes are likely to finish "clearly on top".

The Scuderia managed just three podium finishes through Charles Leclerc and Sebastian Vettel last year as they came sixth in the constructors' championship.

AlphaTauri were just 24 points behind them, their season buoyed by a remarkable grand prix win for Gasly in Monza.

However, testing ahead of 2021 has offered glimpses of a better future for Ferrari following their worst season in four decades. Carlos Sainz recorded the third-fastest time last Sunday in Bahrain, while he and Leclerc are each said to be happier with the handling of the car after problems with straight-line speed last year.

Gasly, who has spoken privately to Leclerc about Ferrari's progress, believes the team are keeping their cards close to their chest in terms of their progress during the off-season.

He told Stats Perform News: "I think Ferrari are kind of hiding and not showing too much. Compared to last year I think they are clearly better.

"I discussed it with [Charles] Leclerc after the test and we exchanged a couple of messages, talking but not too much, just trying to [laughing], have an idea!

"I think we are close to each other. I don't know if they are ahead of us or if we are slightly ahead. But they have clearly made a step forward. 

"I think McLaren seem to be a very strong opponent and competitor at the moment, especially with a Mercedes engine. They seem to have managed to put a strong package together.

"Then at the top, we will see what happens between Mercedes and Red Bull; it is very difficult to say and make any conclusion. Mercedes had a pretty difficult test, with some reliability issues, but we know how strong they are as a team so I wouldn't be surprised to see them clearly on top."

The new season begins in Bahrain on March 28.