Red Bull add two exciting new talents to junior team after successful Jerez trial

Red Bull has confirmed the additions of Fionn McLaughlin and Scott Lindblom to their Junior Team after impressing Helmut Marko at Jerez.

Red Bull possesses one of the most successful junior driver programmes anywhere in Formula 1, with Carlos Sainz, Daniel Ricciardo and Pierre Gasly serving as grand prix-winning graduates, while both Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen have gone on to become multi-time World Champions.

Fionn McLaughlin and Scott Lindblom join Red Bull Junior Team

And Red Bull are on the scout for new talent to add to their ranks, bringing out The Red Bull Driver Search for the task as 11 candidates were put through their paces in a three-day event at Jerez, the venue which formerly hosted Formula 1’s Spanish Grand Prix from 1986-1990.

Drivers were at the wheel of Formula 4 and GB3 machinery in a shootout format, all under the watch of Red Bull driver programme boss Helmut Marko.

And 16-year-old Irishman Fionn McLaughlin and 14-year-old Swede Scott Lindblom impressed Marko to land a spot in the Red Bull Junior Team.

You don’t need a SmartBettingGuide to know that, even at such tender ages, these two could well be future F1 race winners. For now, McLaughlin is set to move from karting to Formula 4 next season with Red Bull backing, while Lindblom will continue on his karting journey now as a Red Bull prospect.

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“What is important here is that we see most of them for the first time in a Formula car,” said Marko. “How they adapt, how quickly they progress and how their improvement is during a 2-day test.

“We are looking for both talent and speed, a driver to win a Grand Prix. We are really focused on how good these drivers are under pressure and on qualifying simulations.

“We don’t buy stars, we make stars. We give them the chance – they can use our simulators in Milton Keynes, they will have support with training and nutrition. It’s perfect preparation for Formula 1.”

In reference to Lindblom, Marko would point out that: “It was his first time in a Formula car, and he went out and was straight away competitive.”

And Red Bull are not finished yet when it comes to Junior Team recruits, with more successful Red Bull Driver Search racers to be confirmed in the near future.

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