Red Bull Junior Team: Creating a Path for Young Drivers to Succeed in Formula 1

By
at Internationaled.org

Published: November 1, 2014

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AUSTIN, Texas—When Sebastian Vettel surprised everyone before the Japanese Grand Prix with the news that he was leaving Red Bull at the end of the year, the team wasted no time in confirming his replacement.

And just as they did last year, when Mark Webber retired, the team did not look for a big name or proven race winner to fill the empty seat. Instead, they promoted Daniil Kvyat from Toro Rosso, the latest in a string of successful graduates from the Red Bull Junior Team.

The Junior Team's architect is Dr. Helmut Marko, a former Formula One driver and winner of the 1971 24 Hours of Le Mans. The 71-year-old Austrian started the program in 1999, when Red Bull was still just an F1 sponsor, not a constructor. Over the years, it has been refined and its model has proven successful.

"It was pretty much: If you win the championship, or show signs of being able to win, we'll just keep bumping you up," said Daniel Ricciardo, who graduated from the Junior Team to F1 in 2011 and took his first grand prix victory earlier this season. "It was perfect; it was all the motivation I needed. It's great. It gives you not only the opportunity, but the experience working with different teams and at different levels. They put me with HRT for six months, which was an experience, but it's definitely served me well now."



Red Bull do not actually run teams in the lower formulas but rather provide funding for their drivers to get seats with existing teams. This allows for greater flexibility in terms of placing drivers at the correct level, rather than shoehorning them into whatever race seat happens to be open.

That funding can make all the difference for young drivers who may have the talent to advance but cannot afford it. Kvyat said, "In karting, my parents could support me, but at some point, in the formulas, it would have been impossible for me to continue my career without Red Bull."

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Article Source: Bleacher Report - Formula 1

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