Red Bull Unveils 2026 Junior Team Lineup in New Era
Red Bull has announced its 2026 junior team lineup, the first without Helmut Marko, featuring eight young drivers across F2, F3, and lower formulas after parting ways with two prospects.
Red Bull has finalized its 2026 driver lineup for the junior team, marking the first season without influential advisor Helmut Marko at the helm. The program, which has nurtured current F1 stars like Max Verstappen and Liam Lawson, features eight talented drivers across various feeder series after parting ways with Oliver Goethe and Tim Tramnitz.
Why it matters:
The Red Bull Junior Team is a critical pipeline for future Formula 1 talent, supplying drivers to both Red Bull Racing and its sister team, Racing Bulls. The composition and performance of this roster directly impact the team's long-term competitive strategy and its ability to identify and develop the next generation of world-class drivers.
The details:
- Formula 2: Nikola Tsolov is the sole Red Bull representative in F2. The 19-year-old moves up full-time after a successful F3 campaign where he finished third in the 2025 standings and secured a podium in his F2 debut in Abu Dhabi. He will continue with Campos Racing.
- Formula 3: The F3 roster features three promising drivers.
- Fionn McLaughlin (18, Irish): The 2025 British F4 champion joins Hitech TGR after a third-place finish in the Formula Winter Series.
- Ernesto Rivera (17, Mexican): Finished fifth in Spanish F4 and fourth in Eurocup-3 in 2024. He will race for Campos Racing.
- Mattia Colnaghi (17, Italian): A back-to-back champion, winning the 2024 Spanish F4 and Eurocup-3 titles. He joins MP Motorsport.
- Formula Racing (Lower Formulas): The junior program's foundation includes four drivers in entry-level series.
- Enzo Tarnvanichkul (16, Thai-Spanish): Finished eighth in Eurocup-3 and won a GB3 race at Brands Hatch in 2025.
- Chiara Bättig (15, Swiss): The sole female driver in the program, she graduates from karting to British F4 with Hitech GP.
- Rocco Coronel (16, Dutch): Son of driver Tom Coronel, he won the 2025 Ginetta Junior Championship and is set for Spanish F4.
- Scott Kin Lindblom (15, Swedish): Finished fourth in the Ginetta Junior Championship and will partner Bättig at Hitech GP in British F4.
Looking Ahead:
This new-look junior team enters a pivotal era for Red Bull. With Arvid Lindblad already promoted to F1, the pressure is on the remaining juniors to progress through the ranks and challenge for a seat on the F1 grid. The performance of drivers like Tsolov in F2 will be closely watched as a key indicator of the program's continued success in developing top-tier talent.