RB finished eighth in last year’s Constructors’ Championship with 25 points in the final campaign of the AlphaTauri era, but in 2024, it has already surpassed that scoring tally to amass 34 points across the opening 14 rounds of the year as Visa Cash App RB (RB for short).
With Sauber at the back of the field and Williams and Alpine struggling, RB, like Haas, has been embroiled in a midfield chase of fifth-place Aston Martin.
Aston has more than double RB’s points (73), but depending on the circuit, RB has been more than a match for the Silverstone-based squad.
It took time for Daniel Ricciardo to find his form at the start of the year when RB was at its most competitive, with Yuki Tsunoda doing well to lead the line and pick up points when they were on offer to the Faenza-based squad.
An ill-conceived upgrade package in Spain hampered RB’s progress, and it had to spend the remainder of the summer races digging itself out of a development hole.
It appears RB has overcome its development struggles and is now well prepared to continue scrapping for the fringe points positions for the rest of the year, proved by Ricciardo sneaking into the top-10 at Spa-Francorchamps following George Russell’s disqualification.
No doubt the task for RB, starting at Zandvoort, will be consolidating sixth in the Constructors’ standings whilst continuing to put pressure on Aston Martin.
“From day one, our aim has been to race as credible competitors at the top of the mid-field and this summer break is a logical time to look at where we stand,” Team Principal Laurent Mekies said after the Belgian Grand Prix.
“We enjoyed a very strong first half of the season in which we built up our performance race after race, scoring points at 10 out of 14 races.
“We are fighting hard for that P6 in the Constructors’, against very strong competitors, and it’s going to be a tough battle all the way to Abu Dhabi.
“Our groups in Faenza and in Bicester are getting stronger every day, and we look forward to the next battles.”
“I’m leaving Spa content and fulfilled, which pleases me entering the summer break,” added Ricciardo.
“Looking ahead after the break, I’m excited to get back to Zandvoort and we’ll keep the momentum going from the last few races.”
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