Four rising talents join the path of current F1 stars Max Verstappen, Carlos Sainz Jr. and Daniel Ricciardo with the Red Bull Junior Driver development programme.
The latest edition of Red Bull Driver Search set out to scout for the next-generation drivers to join the team this August in Jerez, Spain. The 11 invited candidates aged between 13-16 years old came from the UK, Ireland, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Sweden, Lebanon and Mexico.
From this group, the first drivers selected to join the programme were Fionn McLaughlin (IRL) and Scott Lindblom (SWE). Now they are being joined by four more peers: Christopher Feghali (LBN), Rocco Coronel (NLD), Jules Caranta (FRA) and Ernesto Rivera (MEX).
Since its formation in 2001, the Red Bull Junior Team has been committed to developing the best young talent in motorsports. Currently, the team consists of nine 15 to 19 year old racers driving in the Junior Formula Series.
The three-day selection event consisted of prospective young athletes driving F4 and GP3 racing cars in a shootout format. Their performance was evaluated by Dr. Helmut Marko, an advisor to the Red Bull F1 teams. “Bringing back Red Bull Driver Search has been an important step for our Junior Driver programme. The invited drivers already highlighted promising young talent, and we remain dedicated to fostering our Junior Drivers to shape the future of motorsport”, says Dr. Marko, Head of the Red Bull Junior Driver programme.
The new team members all come with high aspirations: “My goal is of course to be a Formula 1 world champion”, says Ernesto Rivera. “I love the adrenaline when you are racing; the speed, all the preparation you need, the uniqueness of the sport.”
The young prospects already have left a firm footprint in different motorsports disciplines, having practically grown within the sport. Jules Caranta was 2 years old when he started karting and moved to a single-seated car this year. “My parents had a karting team, so I immediately fell in love with motorsports. Since that moment I have never stopped”.
Having the chance to join the Red Bull Junior Team is an important milestone for a young athlete. As Christopher Feghali states, “Now that I know I will be a member of the Red Bull Junior Team, I am so excited. It is a huge opportunity, and I can't wait to start this new chapter, learning from the best and pushing myself to new limits”. Feghali’s fellow Junior driver Rocco
Coronel agrees: “I am honored to be chosen as one of the Red Bull Junior Drivers after the shootout in Jerez. It is a proven programme that has taken many drivers to the top of motorsports. My dream is of course to become an F1 driver. With this opportunity, my dream is getting realistic. I have always followed the Red Bull drivers and how they have grown in the sport. And now I am getting to be one of them”.
The Red Bull Junior Team has a proven track record of bringing drivers into Formula One. Five of the Red Bull Junior Team alumni; Sebastian Vettel, Daniel Ricciardo, Max Verstappen, Pierre Gasly, and Carlos Sainz Jr. have won a Formula 1 race, while Vettel and Verstappen have won 7 combined world championships.