The Red Bull junior program has come under severe fire recently following the return of 34-year-old Daniel Ricciardo to AlphaTauri. Even though the Milton Keynes outfit have repeatedly stated that the Italian outfit is a side, where they attempt to groom young drivers, the return of the Australian does not seem to suggest the same. Former Toro Rosso(now Alpha Tauri) driver Scott Speed was recently asked about his views on Red Bull’s junior program on The Red Flags Podcast as he has been part of that team.
Speed is a former American driver, who raced in F1, NASCAR, and IndyCar. Red Bull recruited the 40-year-old as a test driver back in 2005 before giving him the opportunity to race with Toro Rosso in 2006.
However, his F1 career came to a premature end in 2007 after Red Bull replaced him with Sebastian Vettel. Considering that the Milton Keynes outfit replaced him so quickly, Speed knows a thing or two about how the team operates.
Scott Speed shares his opinion about the team’s junior program
Scott Speed recently appeared on The Red Flags Podcast, where the interviewers asked him to give his take on Red Bull’s junior program. The interviewers were keen for Speed’s response because they found it strange that the team had brought Daniel Ricciardo back into the “junior’s program“.
In reply, Speed began by explaining how he cannot comment upon the same because a lot of inaccurate reports emerge in such situations, which lead to further speculations. However, he did attempt to defend his former side by adding how Red Bull are giving opportunities to younger drivers.
“Even if that system is not perfect, what they are doing is that they are creating an environment for those kids to put work in. And the other thing is that they are giving opportunity,” Scott explained.
As for himself, the 40-year-old added that while he did not receive the “perfect” opportunity from Red Bull, he is yet grateful to the team for helping him become a racing driver. Hence, he believes it is not fair for people to criticize the Milton Keynes outfit as the team have “good intentions” and is at least attempting to provide such opportunities.
Speed believes Marko is the perfect mentor at Red Bull
After defending Red Bull, Scott Speed went on to thank Helmut Marko for his mentorship. The 40-year-old believes that even though the Austrian is ruthless, he is yet outstanding at his job and knows how to get the best out of the drivers.
Speed believes that what worked well for him when he visited Marko was that the 80-year-old only cared about one’s pace, something that cannot be “taught“. The American believes he was lucky to have someone like Marko mentoring him because, in F1, teams usually seek drivers who can bring in sponsorships.
However, that was not the case with Marko. Speed concluded his remarks by explaining how the Red Bull advisor’s sole aim was to pass on his knowledge to the youngsters and work hard to help them become successful drivers.
