Red Bull is planning significant changes to its renowned young driver development program, which has been both celebrated and criticized in the past.
Names like Sebastian Vettel, Carlos Sainz, Daniel Ricciardo, Yuki Tsunoda, Pierre Gasly, Alex Albon, Liam Lawson, Max Verstappen, and numerous others have been launched into F1 through this initiative.
This season, Red Bull had two drivers in Formula 3 and a whopping six in Formula 2. Several more were in different racing categories.
However, Formule 1, a Dutch magazine, recently quoted Red Bull Racing’s Christian Horner discussing his intention to cut down on the number of junior drivers. This statement may be linked to rumored disagreements with Dr. Helmut Marko.
The magazine mentioned, “There have been no official reports from Red Bull yet,” but it hints at the possibility of some drivers exiting soon.
David Dicker, head of the Rodin-Carlin F2 team, believes that two of his Red Bull-affiliated drivers, Zane Maloney and Enzo Fittipaldi, might be affected by this decision.
Speaking to the Mirror, Dicker shared, “The support for most of the guys in these junior teams is next to zero, from the information that I have. They’re not going to be backed by Red Bull next year, to the best of my knowledge.”
He added, “Honestly, Red Bull already has more skilled drivers than available seats. So why continue this?”
Meanwhile, Dennis Hauger, another driver supported by Red Bull in F2, revealed on social media that he’ll be separating from Red Bull after this season ends. He expressed gratitude for the support he received and his eagerness to embrace new prospects.
“I’m grateful for their support over the years and ready to explore new opportunities ahead,” he said.
Horner acknowledges that more changes could be coming for the drivers.
“We’re not lacking talent in the organisation and Helmut has done a great job of identifying young talent, which is his primary role,” he stated.
“But you can’t develop a Max Verstappen every year. Talent sometimes comes in waves. It’s a tough programme, but then Formula 1 isn’t a finishing school – you’ve got to arrive as the finished product and the drivers who succeed get an opportunity.”
Kuba Mikolajczak, a journalist from Viaplay, suggests that by 2024, Red Bull might only have two junior drivers – Isack Hadjar, taking Tsunoda’s spot in Friday’s Mexico practice, and the recently signed Pepe Marti, who’s managed by Fernando Alonso.
This could spell disappointment for Jak Crawford, Ayumu Iwasa, and possibly others, including Sebastian Montoya, son of the ex-F1 driver Juan Pablo Montoya.
