3
Red Bull team principal Christian Horner has said that the team will continue to invest in young drivers for the future. Red Bull's young talent programme has produced the likes of Sebastian Vettel, Daniel Ricciardo, Max Verstappen and Carlos Sainz.
However, it now finds itself in a position where there is no driver available to make the jump into its junior Formula 1 team, Toro Rosso. Earlier this year, the energy drink-backed squad brought in Brendon Hartley to partner Pierre Gasly. Hartley was Red Bull and Toro Rosso's test and reserve driver in 2010, and has signed a contract to race at Toro Rosso full-time in 2017.
At the end of the year, Niko Kari and Richard Verschoor will be dropped by the Red Bull programme. However, in 2018, Dennis Hauger (14), Jack Doohan (14) and two 13-year-old Britons Harry Thompson and Johnny Edgar will become Red Bull juniors.
"Red Bull has committed to young karters aged 13 or 14. We have some exciting talents in Formula 4," Horner said."We continue to invest in young talent, one of our drivers has won the Macau Grand Prix. (Daniel Ticktum). That shows that the program works, and if there is no room at Red Bull Racing, our talents get the chance to spread their wings."
"We are not too reluctant to make them available to other teams, but Pierre Gasly and Brendon Hartley can stay where they are at Toro Rosso, to develop further. We can do what we have done with Carlos Sainz and make them available on loan. For us it's all about having options and investing in talent and youth."
It's a double-edge sword with Red Bull. They are clearly softening the tone, or at least Chris Horner is. I think people are realizing that Red Bull can be a pretty bruising place, even if you are top talent for two reasons (1) Toro Rosso will never be a top car so long as Red Bull owns it and it's the junior team, and (2) Red Bull is interested in Red Bull and when they are dropped, those drivers have very little chance of staying in F1. Drivers like Alguersuari, Buemi where more than worthy of staying in F1, but they were burned at Toro Rosso.
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Kevin
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Red Bull’s junior program did not produce Max Verstappen. All they did was provide him with an F1 contract at STR when he was performing great in F3.