Over the years, the Junior Team has played a crucial role for Red Bull and has been the foundation of the countless successes achieved by the Anglo-Austrian team. Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen represent the crown jewels of the Milton Keynes talent pool. Both cut their teeth starting with the RBJT, then made their mark with the Red Bull F1 team, with the former claiming a remarkable four world titles, while the Dutch driver is set to win his fourth title, likely as soon as the next GP in Las Vegas.
In fact, more than a quarter of the current F1 grid took their first steps in single-seaters with the help of the Anglo-Austrian team. In addition to the aforementioned Max Verstappen, there are Carlos Sainz, Alexander Albon, Yuki Tsunoda, Pierre Gasly, and the latest arrival, Liam Lawson, who has already amply demonstrated his potential in the few races he’s competed in.
Currently, the main members are Pepe Martì, Oliver Goethe, Arvid Lindblad, and especially Isack Hadjar. The French driver is in a tight battle for the Formula 2 title, holding second place in the standings. There is talk of a possible move to the premier class for him as early as 2025.
Nikola Tsolov, new member of the RBJT
Next year, the Red Bull young driver family will gain an additional member. It is Nikola Tsolov, who recently left the Alpine Academy after three years. The Bulgarian driver competed last season with ART Grand Prix in Formula 3, winning three races and finishing 11th in the driver standings.
The 17-year-old also adds to his resume a title in the Spanish Formula 4 in 2022, showing promising talent. However, he will need to tame his more impulsive side, as he has often been involved in fairly controversial incidents.
Consider what happened in free practice in Australia, where he thought it was a good idea to push Alex Dunne into the barriers on the main straight. Additionally, this season, he had to miss the Spa-Francorchamps round for failing to comply with the rule prohibiting drivers from racing earlier in the year on circuits that are part of the F2 and F3 calendars.
In 2025, Nikola Tsolov will compete in his third Formula 3 season with the Campos team, continuing the partnership that started this season between the Spanish team and Red Bull. In the current F2 campaign, the Campos driver pair consists of Isack Hadjar and Pepe Martì. Joining them is Oliver Goethe, who has competed in the entire F3 championship with the team founded by the late Adrian.
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