It is no secret that Red Bull has produced and brought a plethora of top talents into F1 through their young driver program. Their junior academy has given opportunities to future world champions like Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen. However, Christian Horner claims that the contribution of their academy is not only limited to their own team but also extends to Ferrari, Williams, and Alpine.
Started in 2001 and headed by Dr. Helmut Marko, the Red Bull junior team has churned out talents throughout the 20+ years they’ve been active. However, with the recent recruitment of Sergio Perez and the comeback of Daniel Ricciardo, things have been looking pretty dim for their current junior team drivers.
Horner, however, doesn’t believe the same and has claimed that there are quite a few Red Bull-backed drivers on the F2 grid currently. Their main aim is in identifying the talent. In doing so, Horner also credited his team for helping rival teams get a share of these talents.
Christian Horner proud of Red Bull graduates making their mark in other teams
Christian Horner recently appeared on the ESPN F1 unlapped show where spoke about the current status of their academy and whether there needs to be changes in its structures. Horner was adamant that their program remains immensely successful, therefore, there isn’t something inherently wrong with it.
Horner explained how Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz, Williams’ Alex Albon and Alpine’s Pierre Gasly are all Red Bull graduates. Hence, it is quite clear that even if Red Bull cannot offer a seat to their junior drivers in their own team, a proven young star can also get opportunities from other outfits on the grid.
As for the current situation, Horner explained, ” A Max Verstappen or a Sebastian Vettel, they don’t come along every season. So it’s just about making sure that you identify the talent when it does come along.” The team principal is confident that if indeed there is a generational talent in their ranks, Red Bull will provide them with an opportunity in F1.
Red Bull’s F2 prodigies
Red Bull currently has six drivers participating in Formula 2. Among them, Ayumu Iwasa is currently P3 in the championship standings, 34 points behind championship leader Theo Pourchaire.
Enzo Fittipaldi has also had a decent season and is P7 in the standings currently. The other drivers include Zane Maloney, Isack Hadjar, Dennis Hauger and Jak Crawford. Red Bull have had quite an illustrious record of promoting their F2 talents to F1. The latest examples also include the likes of Yuki Tsunoda and Alex Albon.
