Rebel with a cause – New Racing Bulls partner aiming to complete the ‘challenger’s code’

For RebelDot, the devil is in the detail – or, more specifically, in the data. All seven megabytes pour in from each Racing Bull every second, that is.

It is becoming increasingly common for Formula 1 teams to have their own partners who deal with data, intelligent automation and insights, crunching numbers at such speed that they can cover in an hour what a human would struggle to process in a lifetime.

RebelDot partnered with Racing Bulls before the start of the 2025 season and, with its CEO and founder Tudor Ciuleanu being a fan of motorsport while his son is a keen karter, once F1 became a potential space in which to operate, the deal was a chance to show what a smaller operation could do at the very top.

“At RebelDot, we don’t follow; we lead,” said Ciuleanu. “Formula 1 is the ultimate arena where engineering, speed, and strategy meet at the edge of human and technological potential. While the mechanics and aerodynamics have been fine-tuned for decades, we see an opportunity to push boundaries on the digital front.

“For us, this isn’t just sponsorship; it’s about redefining the grid and breaking the limits of what’s possible through innovation.” 

RebelDot builds from the ground up. When it agreed a partnership with the Red Bull sister squad, it was not marketing a specific commodity. It is the commodity, as its head of F1 strategy and partnerships, Alastair Liddell, explains to Autosport.

“I think what it comes down to is there is now tangible value that can be delivered if the right tools are put into place,” he said.

“That could be something as simple as internal processes when building technology. Or during a race, you now have these massive dumps of data at seven megabytes a second coming off a car, which is colossal. 

“It is a bit contentious, but the answers to podiums, race wins, championships, it is somewhere within that big pool of data. That is just a fact. But it doesn’t mean it is easy to find.

“Our job now is to really become an integrated partner with the team and be able to bring our expertise into that and push where it hurts.

“It’s not all about hugs and kisses or drinking champagne, it is quite the opposite. It’s going in and saying these processes will deliver better results in terms of that building.

“So a lot of it is going to come down to how we help them build new sources of information, because we’re a custom builder. This is where we’re very integrated. We’re not coming with a product. The product is RebelDot.”

Liddell is an integral part of the RebelDot operation having met Ciuleanu on one of his many visits to Cluj to visit his now wife, Casandra, and he believes Racing Bulls was the perfect place for RebelDot to set out its path into F1.

“We are sort of trying to be the flag bearer for the small guy,” he said. “Our overarching campaign for season one is the ‘challenger’s code’, which is defined by the different ways in which we work, the mentality which we work with.

Isack Hadjar, RB F1 Team, Yuki Tsunoda, RB F1 Team

Photo by: Andy Hone / Motorsport Images

“It is ‘Rebel’ for a reason. There is a rebel in there. We tend not to conform to just how others do it and through experience, try and do things differently.

“I opened up the conversation (with Racing Bulls) saying, ‘look, we’re not Oracle, we’re not IBM, far from it. 

“But what we are is exceptionally talented and with a big data and AI focus’ and it all really linked up with what Laurent (Mekies, Racing Bulls boss) was envisaging for the team.

“So, for RebelDot the goal is to help them be faster on and off the track but at the same time it is for us to challenge the status quo on those big brands.

“You don’t have to spend tens of millions to deliver good quality. It is true that size doesn’t matter. It’s not sticking a logo on a car. It’s not that at all. It’s quite the opposite.”