Red Bull has named two drivers in their Junior Team after a search programme held in Spain under the guidance of Helmut Marko and Guillaume Rocquelin.
Since its formation in 2001, the Red Bull Junior Team has been committed to developing the best young driving talent in motorsports. Currently the team consists of nine 15 to19-year-old racers driving in the Junior Formula Series and now the aggregation is growing. The Red Bull Driver Search – programme’s days of selection and testing of driver candidates from across the globe, is back to scout for the next generation drivers to join the team.
The search for future champions began on the first week of August in Jerez, Spain. The 11 invited candidates aged between 13-16 years old came from the UK, Ireland, France, Italy, Netherlands, Sweden, Lebanon and Mexico. From this aspiring group, the first drivers selected to join the programme were Fionn McLaughlin and Scott Lindblom.
The three-day event consisted of prospective young drivers trying and testing open-wheel F4 and GP3 racing cars in a shootout format. Their performance was evaluated by Dr. Helmut Marko, Red Bull Motorsports Consultant and Head of the Red Bull Junior Driver programme. “What is important here is that we see most of them for the first time in a Formula car. How they adapt, how quickly they progress and how their improvement is during a 2-day test.
“We are looking for both talent and speed, a driver to win a Grand Prix. We are really focused on how good these drivers are under pressure and on qualifying simulations. We don’t buy stars, we make stars. We give them the chance – they can use our simulators in Milton Keynes, they will have support with training and nutrition. It’s perfect preparation for Formula 1”, concludes Dr. Marko, a former professional racing driver.
The first driver to make the tough Red Bull Junior Team cut was 16-year-old Fionn McLaughlin from Derry, Ireland. McLaughlin will move from Karting to an F4 series next season. After challenging, but rewarding days spent testing in Jerez, McLaughlin described his goals as being set nothing but high.“My goal in racing is to be a world champion. I never give up; I work hard until I’m at the top. I will keep working until I’m there “.
Fionn’s racing role model, Sebastian Vettel, was a Red Bull Junior Driver graduate himself. “The driver that got me into racing was Sebastian Vettel. He has always been an inspiration to me.” Another young talent scouted through Red Bull Driver Search in Spain was 14-year-old Scott Lindblom from Falun, Sweden.
Lindblom will join the Red Bull family as a Karting driver. “My biggest challenge was adjusting my driving style from Karting to F4 because it was my first time in a F4 car”. But as Dr. Marko noted, “It was his first time in a Formula car, and he went out and was straight away competitive”. More Red Bull Driver Search names going through to the programme will be announced soon.
Over the years, the Red Bull Junior Team has been successful in bringing a selection of drivers into Formula One. The Red Bull Driver Search has been pivotal in the process of scouting the talent. Five of the Red Bull Junior Team alumni; Sebastian Vettel, Daniel Ricciardo, Max Verstappen, Pierre Gasly, and Carlos Sainz Jr. have won a Formula One race, while Vettel and Verstappen have won at least three World Championships each.
Here’s some videos: https://www.instagram.com/p/C-XbyY2ta0g/
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UPDATE (September 11): 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. Here’s what you need to know:
– 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.
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[Note: The story is as per press release]
