Red Bull Drops Goethe and Tramnitz from Junior Program
Red Bull has cut ties with junior drivers Oliver Goethe and Tim Tramnitz. The move ends Tramnitz's stint after he failed to secure a 2025 seat due to sponsorship issues, while Goethe moves to F2 with Prema.
Red Bull has officially parted ways with junior drivers Oliver Goethe and Tim Tramnitz, effective immediately. The decision sees Goethe move on after securing a 2025 Formula 2 seat, while Tramnitz is dropped after failing to secure a competitive drive for the upcoming season due to a lack of sponsorship funding.
Why it matters:
The move underscores the notoriously cutthroat nature of Red Bull's driver academy, which has a history of fast-tracking talent to F1 but is equally swift to cut ties. It highlights that even with prestigious backing, external factors like securing personal sponsorship can be a career-defining hurdle. The decision also thins out Red Bull's presence in the feeder series, leaving them with just one driver in F2 and potentially impacting their future pipeline of young talent.
The details:
- Oliver Goethe: Finished 15th in the 2024 Formula 2 season. He has already secured a seat with Prema Racing for the 2025 F2 campaign, making his departure from the Red Bull program a logical next step as the team clears its roster.
- Tim Tramnitz: A strong fourth-place finisher in the 2024 Formula 3 championship. His exit stems directly from his inability to secure a 2025 seat in either F3 or F2, a situation attributed to a lack of sponsorship funding. Red Bull had reportedly warned him this would be the consequence.
- Current Red Bull Roster: With these departures, Nikola Tsolov is now the sole Red Bull junior driver competing in Formula 2 this year. The team retains three drivers in Formula 3: Mattia Colnaghi, Ernesto Rivera, and Fionn McLaughlin.
What's next:
For Goethe, the focus shifts to his 2025 campaign with Prema, where he'll look to prove his worth outside the Red Bull umbrella. Tramnitz's future remains uncertain, as he now faces the difficult task of finding a competitive drive and funding without the backing of a top-tier F1 team. Red Bull will continue to monitor its remaining prospects, with the pressure firmly on its junior drivers to deliver results and justify their place in one of motorsport's most demanding academies.