What is the Red Bull Junior Team? A look at the unique F1 academy

Nearly half of the Components 1 grid in 2025 could have come from the Pink Bull Junior Crew, making it one of the vital profitable academy programmes in motorsport.

What’s the Pink Bull Junior Crew?

The Pink Bull Junior Crew is a driver improvement programme operated by Austrian conglomerate Pink Bull GmbH, greatest identified for its power drinks model, and headed by motorsport advisor Helmut Marko. 

It was formally based in 2001 with the purpose of signing and creating younger racing drivers, in order that they’re able to establishing profitable careers throughout the business. 

This entails Pink Bull figuring out drivers from Components 2 proper all the way down to karting to fund and assist their development by way of the open-wheel ranks with aspirations of finally attending to F1.

Sebastian Vettel, BMW Sauber Third Driver

Photograph by: Sutton Photographs

Pink Bull made its F1 debut in 2005 after the corporate bought Jaguar Racing and thus took over its Milton Keynes base.

It was not a stellar debut yr for Pink Bull because it completed seventh within the championship, however the next season noticed the corporate develop its presence on the grid.

That’s as a result of Pink Bull purchased the uncompetitive Minardi, an Italian squad that had been in F1 from 1985 to 2005. 

The corporate rebranded the crew as Toro Rosso – which is ‘Pink Bull’ in Italian – to function Pink Bull’s junior squad in F1.

So, at any time when a Pink Bull junior driver has made their F1 debut, it has often include the Faenza-based squad and spectacular kind has then been rewarded with a promotion to the ‘A’ crew.

Race winner Sebastian Vettel, Toro Rosso

Photograph by: Sutton Photographs

All through the numerous rebrands, nevertheless, its sister outfit has turn into certainly one of F1’s most profitable groups in historical past.

Pink Bull has gained eight drivers’ world championships (Vettel, 2010-13, and Verstappen, 2021-24) and 6 constructors’ titles (2010-13, 2022-23) whereas breaking many data like most victories in a season (21), most consecutive wins (15) and most factors in a marketing campaign (860). 

However not each Pink Bull junior will attain F1, as many graduates of the programme are contesting different types of motorsport whether or not it’s the World Endurance Championship, IndyCar and even DTM. 

Which F1 drivers have graduated from the Pink Bull Junior Crew?

Hadjar will turn into the seventeenth F1 driver to have graduated from the Pink Bull junior system when he makes his collection debut in 2025.

The 20-year-old will accomplice Tsunoda at Racing Bulls after Lawson was promoted from the Italian outfit to turn into Verstappen’s team-mate subsequent season.

Pink Bull has an extended historical past of signing drivers from its sister squad, with Vettel the primary to make that bounce in 2009 shortly after successful the 2008 Italian Grand Prix.

Daniel Ricciardo, Pink Bull Racing RB10

Photograph by: Daniel Kalisz

Given Vettel and Verstappen have every claimed 4 F1 world championships with Pink Bull, whereas Ricciardo gained seven grands prix with the Austrian squad, the programme has many success tales. 

However it is usually a really cut-throat programme. Ought to a driver not instantly carry out nicely, their future throughout the system turns into underneath query.

Gasly, for instance, moved to Pink Bull in 2019 after a season and 1 / 4 with Toro Rosso. However, the Frenchman was demoted again to the ‘B’ crew after simply 12 grands prix having struggled towards Verstappen.

His successor didn’t fare a lot better both. Albon was promoted halfway by way of his rookie yr, however he was dropped from the ‘A’ crew after only a season and a half.

That adopted a really disappointing 2020 marketing campaign the place Albon completed seventh within the championship and 109 factors behind Verstappen, who was third.

Alexander Albon, Toro Rosso

Photograph by: Jerry Andre / Motorsport Photographs

Sebastien Buemi, for instance, has turn into a four-time winner of the WEC after his three-year stint with Toro Rosso.

Ayumu Iwasa, in the meantime, is a Pink Bull junior within the Tremendous Components championship and IndyCar’s Callum Ilott spent 2015 within the programme – but neither have began a grand prix.

Nevertheless, his prior crew Racing Level, opted to switch him with Vettel for 2021 which means Perez was and not using a drive regardless of ending a then career-equalling better of fourth within the championship.

So, contemplating Albon’s struggles, Pink Bull swiftly signed the free agent Perez shortly after the 2020 Abu Dhabi season finale provided that on the time it didn’t have any junior drivers able to changing the Thai-Briton.

Nyck de Vries, AlphaTauri AT04

Photograph by: Erik Junius

Who’re the present drivers within the Pink Bull Junior Crew?

There are 16 drivers who’re presently within the Pink Bull Junior Crew beginning with Iwasa, who not too long ago completed fifth within the 2024 Tremendous Components championship.

The 23-year-old joined the system in 2021, the place he subsequently made his F3 debut earlier than a promotion to F2 simply the next season. Iwasa then spent two years in F2, scoring 5 wins and a greatest end of fourth within the 2023 standings earlier than returning to his native nation to contest Japan’s prime single-seater collection.

Iwasa additionally made his F1 session debut in 2024, as he drove for RB in first follow at the Japanese GP. 

Different present members of the programme embrace Pepe Marti, who turned an F2 race winner in 2024, whereas Arvid Lindblad will make his collection debut in 2025 having not too long ago completed fourth within the F3 championship as a rookie.

Nikola Tsolov and Niklas Schaufler may also be a part of the Pink Bull junior programme in 2025.