Since acquiring the defunct Minardi team, Red Bull Racing has run the Faenza based operation as its feeder team for promising young F1 drivers. Sebastian Vettel was an early beneficiary although his debut in the sport came through BMW-Sauber.
Following Robert Kubica’s huge crash at the 2007 Canadaian Grand Prix, Sebastian was named as his replacement for the upcoming race in the USA. He qualified seventh and finished the race a place lower becoming the youngest driver ever to score a point in F1.
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Toro Rosso snapped up the young German protege for the following season. At the wet Italian Grand Prix Vettel’s skills shone as he led the race for the majority of the Grand Prix, crossing the finishing line some 12.5 seconds ahead of McLaren’s Heikki Kovalainen for what would be ToroRosso’s only ever win.
Gerhard Berger said at the time, “As he proved today, he can win races, but he’s going to win World Championships. He’s a cool guy”. Meanwhile the German media immediately dubbed him “Baby Schumi” given his prowess in the wet conditions.
Vettel was promoted to Red Bull the following season replacing the retiring David Coulthard and the rest is history. Yet not all of the junior team recruits for Red Bull had the success of Sebastian Vettel.
During the twelve seasons the team raced as Toro Rosso they employed the services of 12 drivers. Only Sebastian Vettel, Daniel Ricciardo, Max Verstappen and Alex Albon made a successful transition to the senior team.
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Pierre Gasly did make the upwards move but was demoted mid-season and was replaced by Alex Albon who completed the following season alongside Max Verstappen before being dumped out of Formula One.
The team changed its name in 2020 and became the AlphaTauri team, named after a Styrian based clothing company who sponsored the squad. None of their drivers have transitioned up to the Red Bull team and mid way through 2023 saw a seismic change in the recruitment process.
Having started the year replacing Pierre Gasly with the Formula E champion Nyck de Vries, Red Bull decided after just ten races to replace him with their reserve Daniel Ricciardo in what looked to be a new approach to driver recruitment.
Ricciardo had led the senior outfit following the departure of Sebastian Vettel, but an ill fated spell at McLaren saw the likeable Aussie without a full time drive in 2023. When he replaced de Vries, Red Bull advisor Dr. Marko signalled this would be part of the transformation of the Red Bull junior team as they would now target improved performance in the championship over employing just inexperienced drivers.
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The Faenza based team has moved a significant number of its operations from Italy to England over the winter and will cease to develop and produce its car 100% as in previous seasons. The newly named Red Bull junior team – Visa Cash App RB – will partner with Red Bull as does Haas F1 with Ferrari buying most of the allowable components from the senior team.
This process began last year in Singapore when AT fitted the rear suspension of the RB19 to its 2023 car and the results were immediately impressive. Hauling themselves from the bottom of the table with a handful of races remaining AT closed in on Williams falling short of finishing P7 by just one point.
There has been little reported on how the new style Red Bull junior programme will now operate going forward, although New Zealander Liam Lawson was impressive when he stood in for Ricciardo following his broken hand caused the the Dutch Grand Prix in Zandvoort. He scored two points in his five Grand Prix and was regularly on a par with his far more experienced team mate Yuki Tsunoda.
The head of the Red Bull junior programme revealed to OE24 that he believed Lawson would be racing full time in 2025. But added intriguingly, “and before that he should at least drive a few more races so that we can see where his potential really lies.”
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Clearly Marko believes Sergio Perez inconsistent form will see him replaced by Daniel Ricciardo as this year progresses, which of course will release a seat at V-CARB for Lawson who is the last of the current crop if Red Bull juniors anywhere near racing in Formula One.
Former Red Bull junior driver Jak Crawford believes there has been a shift in how the team’s development programme will operate. He has been in the programme for four years as he made his way through the ranks to Formula Two.
This year the American driver will compete again in F1 but has been dropped from the Red Bull junior programme. Jan will drive for title the title winning DAMS team but revealed his feelings about Red Bull to RACER this week.
“It’s quite a weird feeling – I feel like I’ve been doing this a long time, but then you look at my age, compared to most of the guys, I’m probably one of the youngest still in F2.
“So it’s very weird to look at because I feel like I’ve had a long career in single-seaters so far and you look at some of the guys there in their lower 20s, and they have a lot more experience than me in single-seaters.”
“Massive change”
At 18 years of age Crawford is one of the younger drivers on the F2 grid this year and he once described his mentor Dr. Helmut Marko as being “too brutally honest.”
Yet the youngster is bullish of his prospects stating, “I feel like I’m in a good position. It’s a bit weird saying I’ve been in Red Bull for four years, and I’ve been dropped and I’m only 18. It is a bit weird to say that, but I do think it’s a good opportunity for myself, relieved of pressure.”
Yet Jak isn’t all down on the Red Bull junior programme despite the pressure and reveals there has been a shift in how the operation is run.
“There’s also a lot of good learning opportunities. Guillaume Roquelin, who’s now head of the junior team, he came in in the middle of 2022. Ever since then, I felt like there was a massive change in the program. It was more educational.
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“I was learning more, I was getting more feedback about everything and having more preparation before the the event from Red Bull. So I really enjoyed that aspect to it as well.”
Despite this opportunities for junior drivers at V-CARB will now be more restricted as Red Bull wants to make the team more competitive. New CEO Peter bayer recently said the team was targeting fifth place in their new era which would see them enter the realm of the big boys.
All this may be designed to make V-CARB more attractive for a potential future sale. This now looks more likely since calls from the likes of Zak Brown have suggests duel ownership of two Formula One teams should be banned under the upcoming 2030 Concorde Agreement.
A more competitive V-CARB will achieve a better sale price, yet is could be the case the new owners operate as Ferrari and Sauber did for many years, where V-CARB receives money from Red Bull to race with at least one driver from its ongoing junior motor racing programme.
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The Judge, a nom de plume of an experienced F1 journalist and site founder with long-standing sources across the paddock. With over 30 years of experience in Formula 1 as an insider journalist, I have built trusted connections across the paddock, from race engineers and mechanics to senior team figures. At The Judge 13, I and a handful of trusted colleagues share exclusive Formula 1 news, expert analysis and behind-the-scenes stories you will not find in mainstream motorsport media.
