The Red Bull Junior Team is a driver development programme operated by Austrian conglomerate company Red Bull GmbH to identify and develop talent in open-wheel racing. Members of the Junior Team are financed and sponsored by Red Bull in kart racing and junior formulae.
The programs have been successful in bringing a selection of drivers into Formula One. Five graduates—Sebastian Vettel, Daniel Ricciardo, Max Verstappen, Pierre Gasly and Carlos Sainz Jr.—have won a Formula One Grand Prix, whilst Vettel and Verstappen have won the World Drivers' Championship a combined eight times. Red Bull owns two teams in Formula One, Red Bull Racing and Racing Bulls.
The Red Bull Junior Team was also the name of RSM Marko, a team that competed in International Formula 3000 between 1999 and 2003, sponsored by Red Bull and run by Helmut Marko.
The Red Bull Junior Team was formed in 2001 as Red Bull's European driver programme. Red Bull offers funding and support for the promising young drivers that are part of the programme. In 2004, Christian Klien became the first Red Bull Junior to race in Formula One, while in 2008, Sebastian Vettel became the first Red Bull Junior to win a Formula One Grand Prix, the Italian Grand Prix. Two years later, in 2010, Vettel became the first Red Bull Junior graduate to win the Formula One World Championship.
The similar Red Bull Driver Search, now ended, was an American spin-off of the same idea held in 2005. In 2024, Red Bull formed a separate programme called the Red Bull Academy Programme to support the team's F1 Academy drivers.
Current drivers
+ Red Bull Junior Team drivers Driver Titles as Red Bull Junior Enzo Tarnvanichkul 2023– Eurocup-3 Spanish Winter ChampionshipEurocup-3 None Rocco Coronel 2024– Formula Winter SeriesF4 Spanish Championship Ginetta Junior Championship (2025) Scott Kin Lindblom 2024– UAE4 SeriesF4 British Championship None Fionn McLaughlin 2024– Formula Regional Oceania TrophyFIA Formula 3 Championship F4 British Championship (2025) Ernesto Rivera 2024– Formula Regional Oceania TrophyFIA Formula 3 Championship None Nikola Tsolov 2025– FIA Formula 2 Championship None Chiara Bättig 2025– Formula Winter SeriesF4 British Championship None Mattia Colnaghi 2025– FIA Formula 3 Championship None Melvin Kalousdian 2026– Ginetta Junior Championship None
Graduates to Red Bull Racing in Formula 1
DriverJunior Team experienceF1 experience with Red BullF1 experience with other teamsYearsFormer seriesToro Rosso / AlphaTauri / Racing BullsRed Bull Racing Christian Klien 2001–2003Formula BMW ADAC (2001)Formula Renault 2000 Germany (2002)Formula Renault 2000 Eurocup (2002)Formula 3 Euro Series (2003) –Jaguar ()HRT () Sebastian Vettel 2001–2007 Karting (2001–2002)Formula BMW ADAC (2003–2004)Formula 3 Euro Series (2005–2006)Formula Renault 3.5 Series (2006–2007)––BMW Sauber ()Ferrari (–)Aston Martin (–) Vitantonio Liuzzi 2002–2004German Formula Three Championship (2002)International Formula 3000 (2003–2004)– Force India (–)HRT () Daniel Ricciardo 2008–2011 Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 (2008)Formula Renault 2.0 West European Cup (2008)British Formula 3 Championship (2009)Formula Renault 3.5 Series (2009–2011)–––HRT () Renault (–)McLaren (–) Alexander Albon† 2008–2012Karting (2008–2011)Formula Renault 2.0 Alps (2012)Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 (2012)2019–Williams (–present) Daniil Kvyat 2010–2013 Formula BMW Europe (2010)Formula BMW Pacific (2010)Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 (2010–2012)Formula Renault 2.0 Northern European Cup (2011)Toyota Racing Series (2011)Formula Renault 2.0 Alps (2012)GP3 Series (2013)FIA Formula 3 European Championship (2013)––– Max Verstappen† 2014 FIA Formula 3 European Championship (2014)––––present Pierre Gasly†2014–2017Formula Renault 3.5 (2014)GP2 Series (2014–2016)Super Formula (2017)–, –2019 Alpine (–present) Yuki Tsunoda 2019–2020 FIA Formula 3 Championship (2019)Euroformula Open Championship (2019)Toyota Racing Series (2020)FIA Formula 2 Championship (2020) –, Liam Lawson† 2019–2023 FIA Formula 3 Championship (2019–2020) Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters (2021) FIA Formula 2 Championship (2021–2022) Super Formula Championship (2023) –, –present , Isack Hadjar† 2022–2024 Formula Regional Asian Championship (2022)FIA Formula 3 Championship (2022)FIA Formula 2 Championship (2023–2024) –present
Championship titles highlighted in bold. † denotes currently active Formula 1 drivers.
Graduates to Toro Rosso/AlphaTauri/Racing Bulls
This list includes drivers who have graduated from the Junior Team to Toro Rosso, AlphaTauri and Racing Bulls but have not raced for Red Bull Racing. Former Red Bull Junior Team drivers who have driven for both Toro Rosso/AlphaTauri/RB and Red Bull Racing appear on the Graduates to Red Bull Racing table.
DriverJunior Team experienceToro Rosso / AlphaTauri / Racing BullsF1 experience with other teamsYearsFormer series Scott Speed 2003–2005 British Formula 3 Championship (2003) Formula Renault 2000 Germany (2004) Formula Renault 2000 Eurocup (2004) GP2 Series (2005)A1GP (2005) – Sébastien Buemi 2005–2008 Formula BMW ADAC (2005)Formula Renault 2.0 NEC (2006)Formula 3 Euro Series (2006–07)A1GP (2006–07)GP2 Series (2007–08)GP2 Asia Series (2008) – Jaime Alguersuari 2006–2009 Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 (2006–2007)Italian Formula Renault Championship (2006–2007)British Formula 3 Championship (2008)Spanish Formula Three Championship (2008)Formula Renault 3.5 Series (2009) – Brendon Hartley 2006–2010 Formula Renault 2.0 NEC (2006)Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 (2006–2007)Formula Renault 2.0 Italia (2007)British Formula 3 (2008)Formula 3 Euro Series (2008–2009)Formula Renault 3.5 Series (2009–2010) –2018 Jean-Éric Vergne 2008–2011 Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 (2008–2009)Formula Renault 2.0 West European Cup (2008–2009)British Formula 3 Championship (2010)GP3 Series (2010)Formula Renault 3.5 Series (2010–2011) – Carlos Sainz Jr.† 2010–2014 Formula BMW Europe (2010)Formula BMW Pacific (2010)European F3 Open (2010)Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 (2010–2011)Formula Renault 2.0 Northern European Cup (2011)Formula 3 Euro Series (2011–2012)British Formula 3 Championship (2012)GP3 Series (2013)Formula Renault 3.5 Series (2013–2014) –Renault (–)McLaren (–)Ferrari (–)Williams (–present) Arvid Lindblad† 2021–2025 Italian F4 Championship (2022)Formula 4 UAE Championship (2023)Italian F4 Championship (2023)Euro 4 Championship (2023)Formula Regional Middle East Championship (2024)FIA Formula 3 Championship (2024)Formula Regional Oceania Championship (2025)FIA Formula 2 Championship (2025) –present
Championship titles highlighted in bold. † denotes currently active Formula 1 drivers.
Former drivers
{| class="wikitable sortable" border="1" style="font-size: 90%;" |- ! Driver ! Years !class="unsortable"| !F1 Team(s) |- | Ricardo Maurício | align="center" | 2001–2002 | International Formula 3000 (2001–2002) | None |- | Bernhard Auinger | align="center" | 2001–2003 | German Formula 3 (2001–02)International Formula 3000 (2003)Formula 3 Euro Series (2003) | None |- | Patrick Friesacher | align="center" | 2001–2003 | International Formula 3000 (2001–2003) | Minardi (2005) |- | Reinhard Kofler | align="center" | 2001–2004 | Formula BMW Junior Cup (2001)Formula BMW ADAC (2002)Formula Renault 2000 Masters/Eurocup (2003–2004)Formula Renault 2000 Germany (2003–2004) | None |- | Christopher Wassermann | align="center" | 2001–2004 | Karting (2001–2002)Formula BMW ADAC (2003–2004) | None |- | Martin Ragginger | align="center" | 2002–2006 | Karting (2002–2004)Formula BMW ADAC (2005–2006) | None |- | Paul Edwards | align="center" | 2003 | World Series By Nissan (2003) | None |- | Grant Maiman | align="center" | 2003 | Formula Renault 2000 Masters (2003)Formula Renault 2000 Italia (2003)Formula Renault 2000 Germany (2003) | None |- | Joel Nelson | align="center" | 2003 | Euro Formula 3000 (2003)British Formula 3 (2003) | None |- | Mathias Lauda | align="center" | 2003–2004 | World Series Lights (2003)International Formula 3000 (2004) | None |- | Norbert Siedler | align="center" | 2003–2004 | World Series By Nissan (2003)Euro Formula 3000 (2004) | None |- | Dominique Claessens | align="center" | 2004 | Formula Renault 2000 Eurocup (2004)Formula Renault 2000 Germany (2004) | None |- | Matt Jaskol | align="center" | 2004 | Formula BMW USA (2004) | None |- | Narain Karthikeyan | align="center" | 2004 | World Series By Nissan (2004) | Jordan (2005)HRT (2012–13) |- | Atte Mustonen | align="center" | 2004 | Karting (2004) | None |- | Guillermo Rojas | align="center" | 2004 | Formula Renault V6 Eurocup (2004) | None |- | Federico Montoya | align="center" | 2004 | Formula BMW ADAC (2004)Formula BMW USA (2004) | None |- | Colin Fleming | align="center" | 2004–2006 | Formula Renault 2000 Eurocup (2004)Formula Renault 2000 Germany (2004)Formula Renault 3.5 Series (2005–2006) | None |- | Michael Ammermüller | align="center" | 2004–2007 | Formula Renault 2000 Germany (2004)Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 (2004–2005)Formula Renault 2.0 Italia (2005)GP2 Series (2006–2007)Formula Renault 3.5 Series (2007)A1GP (2007) | None |- | Adrian Zaugg | align="center" | 2004–2007 | Formula BMW ADAC (2004)Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 (2005–2006)Formula Renault 2.0 Italia (2005–2006)Formula Renault 3.5 Series (2006)A1GP (2006–07 & 2007)GP2 Series (2007) | None |- | Jim Ka To | align="center" | 2005 | Asian Formula Renault Challenge (2005) | None |- | Matías Milla | align="center" | 2005 | Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 (2005)Formula Renault 2.0 Germany (2005) | None |- | Teemu Nyman | align="center" | 2005 | Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 (2005)Formula Renault 2.0 Germany (2005) | None |- | Philipp Eng | align="center" | 2005–2006 | Karting (2005)Formula BMW ADAC (2006) | None |- | Neel Jani | align="center" | 2005, 2007 | GP2 Series (2005)A1GP (2005 & 2007)Champ Car (2007) | None |- | Filipe Albuquerque | align="center" | 2005–2007 | Spanish Formula 3 (2005)Formula Renault 2.0 Germany (2005)Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 (2005–2006)Formula Renault 2.0 NEC (2006)Formula Renault 3.5 Series (2007)GP2 Series (2007)A1GP (2007) | None |- | John Edwards | align="center" | 2005–2007 | Formula Renault 2.0 Germany (2005)Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 (2005–2006)Formula Renault 2.0 NEC (2006)Atlantic Championship (2007) | None |- | Stefano Coletti | align="center" | 2005–2008 | Formula BMW ADAC (2005–2006)Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 (2006–2007)Formula Renault 2.0 Italia (2007)Formula 3 Euro Series (2008) | None |- | Mikhail Aleshin | align="center" | 2005–2009 | Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 (2005)Formula Renault 2.0 Germany (2005)A1GP (2005–06)Formula Renault 3.5 Series (2006–2008)GP2 Series (2007)FIA Formula Two Championship (2009) | None |- | Sergey Afanasyev |align=center| 2006 | Formula Renault 2.0 Suisse (2006)Formula Renault 2.0 NEC (2006) | None |- | Nathan Antunes |align=center| 2006 | Formula Renault 2.0 NEC (2006)German Formula 3 (2006) | None |- | Yoshitaka Kuroda | align="center" | 2006 | Formula BMW ADAC (2006) | None |- | Niall Quinn | align="center" | 2006 | Formula BMW UK (2006) | None |- | Oliver Oakes | align="center" | 2006–2007 | Formula BMW UK (2006)Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 (2007)Formula Renault 2.0 NEC (2007) | None |- | Edoardo Piscopo | align="center" | 2006–2007 | Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 (2006)Formula Renault 2.0 Italia (2006)Toyota Racing Series (2006–07)Formula 3 Euro Series (2007)A1GP (2007) | None |- | Robert Wickens | align="center" | 2006–2009 | Formula BMW USA (2006)Atlantic Championship (2007)Formula Renault 3.5 Series (2007–2008)A1GP (2007–08)Formula 3 Euro Series (2008)FIA Formula Two Championship (2009) | None |- | Pedro Bianchini | align="center" | 2007 | Formula BMW ADAC (2007) | None |- | Kevin Mirocha | align="center" | 2007 | Formula BMW ADAC (2007) | None |- | Daniel Morad | align="center" | 2007 | Formula BMW USA (2007) | None |- | Tom Dillmann | align="center" | 2007–2008 | Formula 3 Euro Series (2007–2008) | None |- | Jean-Karl Vernay