Red Bull, a modern powerhouse on the grid, with four consecutive double championships: Drivers and Constructors, have been known to bring drivers through the ranks, using their sister team in Formula 1, Toro Rosso... But have Red Bull taken their foot off the pedal with their Junior Team?
The Red Bull Junior Team is one that has sparked many of the greatest drivers on the Grid throughout the years in Formula 1, and has even made a four time World Champion. The current 2019 Grid holds seven out of twenty drivers with a Red Bull background: Sebastian Vettel, Daniel Ricciardo, Daniil Kvyat, Carlos Sainz, Max Verstappen, Pierre Gasly and Alex Albon.
Image: redbull.com
For many years Red Bull were notorious for bringing the brand new, young driver talent to the grid. In 2005 the British based team had too many drivers for its own good, leading to a sharing of race seats between Christian Klein and Vitantonio Liuzzi. This led to the program releasing many drivers due to a lack of capacity in its desired racing series, F1.
However, nowadays the opposite issue is emerging... Red Bull's Junior Team seems to be lacking in Formula 1 ready drivers, a lack of super licence points deeming detrimental to the team. Moreover, the majority of the Junior Team were born between 1999-2004 meaning they range from fifteen to twenty one years of age, with just one exception Lucas Auer, Gerhard Berger's nephew, who is 24 and currently racing in the Super Formula Championship. But, Lucas is one of the more recent additions as of this year, could this be the team covering up the lack of F1 ready racers?
Image: juniorteam.redbull.com
Red Bull even went as far as borrowing Honda's own driver, Naoki Yamamoto, for a free practise session. Yamamoto is currently leading the Super Formula Championship and therefore has a sufficient amount of Super Licence points to compete in Formula 1. But would Red Bull adopt their engine suppliers driver? Is this yet another sign of Red Bull neglecting their Junior Team?
Formula 1 is a notorious cut throat sport that doesn't wait for anything or anyone. With a minimal to no adjustment period, many drivers succumb to the pressures. At Red Bull, the pressures seem to be more intense, a by-product of Dr Helmut Marko, Red Bull's advisor, who seems to openly criticise his own drivers.
Some could disagree, Formula 1 is a cut throat sport that waits for no one, but most of these drivers are of a tender age, Pierre Gasly is just 23, and already the Frenchman has been promoted and demoted in the space of a year. A promotion that may have been premature, but one that thrust him into the limelight, in what is only his second season in Formula 1 and should have been a 'learning' year for both him, Red Bull and their new engine supplier, Honda. However, after some potential was shown in the Red Bull-Honda package, in Austria and Germany after Max Verstappen secured victories, which caused expectations to sky rocket. With a global platform and the pressure and expectations, not only from the media, but from his own team, was Gasly deemed to fail?
Andrew Benson, chief F1 writer for the BBC, allegedly confirmed the fact that some young drivers are deliberately avoiding joining the Red Bull driver program due to the harsh treatment of their drivers throughout the years.
Formula 1 is spectacularly difficult to get into, Red Bull have four out of twenty seats in the sporting phenomenon and still drivers are actively avoiding signing up to such a team...
With a lack of willing drivers, is the Red Bull Junior Team in dire straits and a thing of the past?
Comments