10 talented racing drivers you forgot were once Red Bull juniors
Red Bull junior drivers included Robert Wickens, Dan Ticktum, Dean Stoneman, and Karun Chandhok.
The axing of Kacper Sztuka from the Red Bull driver programme is the latest name on a long list of former talents signed to their junior roster.
With over 20 years of Red Bull involvement in F1, the energy drinks giant has had some astonishing names associated with it through signing to the junior programme. Here are 10 names you might have forgotten were once singled out as potential greats by Red Bull.
10 big names that were once part of the Red Bull stable
Tom Blomqvist
Son of 1984 World Rally Champion Stig Blomqvist, the now 30-year-old British driver had the world at his feet for a couple of years.
In late 2010, he was a McLaren Autosport BRDC Award finalist and was awarded the Henry Surtees trophy for most outstanding performance by a rising star. A year later, he was signed to Mark Blundell and Martin Brundle’s MB Partners and joined the McLaren driver development programme.
He was also selected as a driver by Porsche following a selection process to find new juniors for the Porsche Carrera Cup, but he chose to stay in single-seaters.
A back-breaking accident at the Lausitzring faltered Blomqvist’s progress a little during 2011 and ’12, but Red Bull successfully porached the British driver away where he was placed in Formula 3.
He finished seventh in a single-car entry for EuroInternational and, despite showing strong pace in Macau, suffered a series of calamities before taking the chequered flag in eighth place in the main race.
Red Bull didn’t keep him on their books for 2014 and, with momentum fading, had to move sideways into DTM in 2015 after finishing second in F3 in 2014. Stints in Formula E and the World Endurance Championship have followed, with Blomqvist becoming a star in LMP2 and the DPi category in IMSA – winning the title in 2022 with Meyer Shank Racing.
He now races in IndyCar with Meyer Shank, as well as in GTP in IMSA where he drives for Whelen Cadillac.
Dean Stoneman
The British driver looked set to be Daniel Ricciardo’s teammate at ISR Racing in Formula Renault 3.5 in 2011, having won the Formula Two championship in 2010.
However, the young driver was diagnosed with testicular cancer and was fortunate to have that diagnosis made in time to be treated. Sitting out 2011, he made a return to motorsport by racing powerboats in 2012. Not only that, he won the P1 SuperStock UK championship in his debut year, but set about a return to motorsport for 2013.
Joining the Porsche Carrera Cup Great Britain, meeting with instantaneous victories, he returned to single-seats in late 2013 by joining Koiranen in GP3. Racing for Koiranen and Manor Marussia for a full GP3 campaign in 2014, he finished second in the championship.
At 25 years old, he was signed by Red Bull to take on the Formula Renault 3.5 championship with DAMS. He finished sixth. But Stoneman’s dalliances with European single-seater racing came to an end as he moved over to Indy Lights.
Parting ways with Red Bull, he won the Freedom Indy 100 and finished fifth in the championship.
Aside from some Blancpain GT racing, Stoneman’s motorsport career has largely dried up in the years since. His last high-profile racing was in 2020 when he won the Lamborghini Super Trofeo.
He has since returned to powerboat racing and, in May 2024, he and his teammates took third place in the UKOPRA 2024 Round the Island Offshore Powerboat Race.
Richard Verschoor
Currently racing in Formula 2 with Trident, the 23-year-old Dutch driver won the Macau Grand Prix at the first time of asking in 2019 – but this came after his stint with Red Bull had already come to an end.
Stepping up to car racing from karting in 2016, Verschoor was signed by Red Bull during the early stages of the North European F4 Championship, where he won the series convincingly, as well as winning the F4 Spanish championship.
Moving up to Formula Renault 2.0 in 2017, he finished ninth overall and finished on the podium at the season finale. However, this wasn’t enough to convince Red Bull to keep him on the books – as he explained to Motorsport.com at the time.
“I got the message from Red Bull before Barcelona when I called Helmut [Marko],” Verschoor said.
“I wanted to know my status and if we would continue. If not, I could start putting together a different plan, and that’s what we started doing.”
Verschoor said Red Bull “mainly just added pressure”, and doesn’t expect he will miss the Austrian firm’s support in the future.
“Red Bull was great for the publicity and the financial part, but apart from that they mainly just added pressure,” he said. “I don’t think I’ll really be missing their support. Now it’s time for the next step.”
Aside from winning the Macau Grand Prix in 2019, Verschoor has bounced around different teams in Formula 2 in the years since – he currently lies 14th in this year’s standings.
Jack Doohan
Son of legendary motorcycling champion Mick Doohan, the Australian is now knocking on the door of a possible entry into Formula 1 with the Alpine team as the French squad evaluate the Australian in his role as the team’s reserve driver.
Having impressed the Enstone-based squad through a series of tests and practice outings, he raced for Invicta Virtuosi Racing in Formula 2 in 2023 and finished third in the championship.
Doohan was signed by Red Bull in 2017, and stayed with the junior programme until 2021 – finished second in Formula 3 at the end of that season.
But an offer from Alpine to join their academy proved too good to turn down, as Doohan told FeederSeries.net: “I was going to be sticking with Red Bull for this season and Alpine made an offer for us to move to their academy in the beginning of September of last year [2021].
“It wasn’t until I think the middle of October that I went up to the factory; still not signed with Alpine but they just gave me the opportunity to go to the factory, see the vibe really and the atmosphere and how I felt around the team and what they could really do for me and what I could do for them. It was after my first day there really I knew I was quite certain of where I wanted to be.”
“I think they’re both obviously great academies. I think it’s driver opinion and it definitely comes down to himself or herself and what they want out of an academy; basically what they’re looking for, and for me it was in order to grow further and further my potential and capabilities in normal circumstances as a human being and also as a racing driver.”
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Dan Ticktum
Famous for his outspoken radio messages, easily-triggered temper, and overtaking under the Safety Car in order to crash into a rival during an MSA Formula race at Silverstone, Ticktum was signed by Red Bull in 2017 after he returned from a two-year ban from motorsport.
Ticktum showed unquestionable talent in the junior categories, winning the 2017 and 2018 Macau Grands Prix with Motopark, and finished second to Mick Schumacher in the 2018 Formula 3 championship.
This led Ticktum to question Schumacher’s dominance of the series, prompting Red Bull boss Christian Horner to admonish him through the media as he said: “He’s a character, he sometimes engages mouth before brain.
“He’s a talented driver, but you know, he’s got more development to do before he’s anywhere near Formula 1 level. He’s fast, but he just needs to polish off a few rough edges.”
Having been linked as a possible replacement for Brendon Hartley at Toro Rosso for 2019, a seat which went to Daniil Kvyat, Ticktum tested a Red Bull RB15 in Bahrain and Barcelona. Placed in Super Formula in 2019, Red Bull dropped Ticktum midway through the year.
Speaking to Formula Scout at the time, Ticktum clarified the nature of his departure by saying:
“I know a lot of people want lots of details. And I want this to be put to bed, I’ve heard a lot of rumours.
“So the rumours of me assaulting my engineer, which I’ve heard going around, have been made up by some 35-year-old bloke in his mum’s bedroom on social media. It’s a complete rumour.
“When I first heard of it, it said: RUMOUR that Dan Ticktum? It’s literally someone’s made it up and it’s got some traction because of my history. People are believing it. But, I will say now, and you can quote me on this, it’s balderdash. It’s rubbish.
“If that had happened, you would have heard it from Honda or from Red Bull, or the statement that Red Bull gave when they dropped me would have had that involved. So that’s nothing to do with that.”
Ticktum went on to say he felt he hadn’t had enough of an opportunity in Super Formula, but thanked Red Bull for giving him a chance.
“I wasn’t given enough of a chance [in SF],” he said.
“But I’m not going to slag Red Bull off, they gave me an opportunity. Maybe they didn’t give me enough time. But still, they gave me the money to go racing, they gave me the belief and I did a lot of stuff in the simulator, worked very hard. I was doing a lot of F1 sim stuff before I got dropped.
“Christian [Horner, Red Bull Racing team principal], I’m sure he’ll back whatever I say up. He was very happy with the F1 tests and also the simulator work I was doing at the factory. Everyone was happy. So it was just a bit of a rash decision, I think.
“But there’s no disrespect to Dr Helmut [Marko, Red Bull Junior team boss], I got on really well with him so I’m not going to burn the bridge. Who knows what will happen in the future.
“I’m aiming to try to get a good deal in F2 next year, and hopefully get some good results, and who knows what doors are going to open soon. We’ll see.”
Later joining the Williams Academy, before departing two years later, Ticktum now races in Formula E with ERT.
Callum Ilott
Stepping up from karting at the end of 2014, Ilott was signed by Red Bull before starting in Formula 3. After a tough first year in the championship, including an appearance at Macau and in the Toyota Racing Series, Ilott was dropped from the programme following his winless year.
With two wins in F3 in 2016, followed by finishing fourth in the championship in 2017, Ferrari signed him to their programme where he carved out a path to success.
Becoming an F1 reserve driver with Alfa Romeo and Haas, Ilott has since raced in IndyCar with Juncos Hollinger and, in 2024, was called as a stand-in at Arrow McLaren.
He is also part of the driver line-up currently second in the World Endurance Championship, where he races for Hertz Team Jota.
Karun Chandhok
Everyone’s favourite Sky F1 analyst was signed by Red Bull as a junior driver for 2007, having stepped up to GP2 with Durango where he finished 16th overall.
Victory in the Formula V6 Asia by Renault in 2006 was enough for Red Bull to take notice and, after a quiet year in GP2 with iSport International with one win from 29 races, he was called up to test with the F1 team in Barcelona at the end of the season.
However, a seat didn’t pan out and, despite links to the Force India team, it wasn’t until 2010 that Chandhok got an opportunity to race in F1.
Sticking around in sportscars and Formula E for a few years after his F1 career ended, Chandhok has become most famous for his sharp and succinct F1 analysis as a broadcaster.
Robert Wickens
The Canadian has started racing in single seats in 2005, participating in Formula BMW USA as a rookie where he finished in third place.
Becoming a Red Bull junior in 2006, Wickens won the title that year and raced to third in 2007 in a Red Bull-backed Forsythe entry in ChampCar Atlantic.
Racing in Formula Renault 3.5 with Carlin, Wickens had two nondescript years before finishing second in Formula 2 in 2009.
However, this came too late to keep Red Bull impressed, after they had released the Canadian from their programme at the end of ’08.
“I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t upset after being released from Red Bull but it didn’t take me long to realise that it opened up opportunities,” he said in 2011, having become a reserve driver for Marussia.
“A lot of people helped me in my career right from karting all the way up. First and foremost my family has been absolutely incredible to get me where I am.”
Second in GP3 in 2010 was followed by victory in Formula Renault 3.5 in 2011 alongside his Marussia reserve duties, before moving to DTM as part of Mercedes junior programme.
Spending the next half-decade in DTM, Wickens moved to IndyCar in 2017. He was left a paraplegic due to an accident at Pocono in 2018, the same year he won the Rookie of the Year award, but has recovered to return to racing in TCR with adaptive hand controls.
Narain Karthikeyan
Given the lofty standards of Red Bull nowadays, it’s difficult to fathom that Narain Karthikeyan was once considered a possibility by the company.
But, having won several minor feeder categories through the late 1990s and early 2000s, Karthikeyan’s incredibly lacklustre performances in Formula Nippon (now Super Formula) weren’t enough to dissuade Red Bull.
Signed up for 2004 off the back of a fourth place in the World Series by Nissan, he finished sixth for Tata before securing a seat with Jordan in 2005. He also was briefly linked with an Indy drive with the Red Bull-backed Cheever Racing and tested with an eye to taking part in the Indy 500. But the deal didn’t pan out.
Karthikeyan kept plugging away in racing on the international circuit until 2021, mainly in Super Formula and having another stint in F1 with the short-lived HRT team, but only cracked the top 10 in a championship again in 2013 when racing in Auto GP.
Matthias Lauda
Son of F1 World Champion Niki, Matthias made his debut in racing in 2002 in Formula Nissan 2000 and was quickly signed by Red Bull as he took on the World Series Lights championship.
Unfortunately lacking the outright talents of his father, Lauda nonetheless made it to GP2 in 2005 where he finished 21st – Red Bull had already opted to part ways with him by this point.
Not making any impression on the world of single-seaters, Lauda moved into sportscar racing and fared much better – he became very competitive in the World Endurance Championship in the LMGTE AM category and won the title in 2017.
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