The Red Bull Junior Team has unveiled its roster of eight drivers who will represent the Formula 1 powerhouse across various feeder series in the 2026 season. This comes as the program enters its first year without long-time top advisor Helmut Marko, who had been instrumental in developing talents like current F1 drivers Max Verstappen, Isack Hadjar, Liam Lawson, and Arvid Lindblad.
In Formula 2, Nikola Tsolov stands as the sole Red Bull representative following Lindblad's promotion to Formula 1. The 19-year-old Bulgarian talent completed three seasons in Formula 3, finishing third in the standings in 2025 before making his F2 debut with two rounds where he immediately scored a podium during the Abu Dhabi Sprint Race.
"Tsolov demonstrated remarkable adaptability during his F2 appearances last season," said a Red Bull Racing spokesperson. "His podium in Abu Dhabi showed he's ready to compete at this level full-time."
The Formula 3 category features three Red Bull junior drivers for 2026. Eighteen-year-old Irish driver Fionn McLaughlin joins the program after winning the F4 British Championship and finishing third in the Formula Winter Series in 2025. He will drive for Hitech TGR after competing in the Formula Regional Oceania Trophy.
Seventeen-year-old Mexican driver Ernesto Rivera enters F3 with Campos Racing after finishing fifth in the F4 Spanish Championship and fourth in Eurocup-3. He will also compete in the Formula Regional Oceania Trophy alongside McLaughlin.
Mattia Colnaghi, another 17-year-old talent, brings impressive credentials to MP Motorsport in F3 after winning back-to-back titles in the F4 Spanish Championship and Eurocup-3 over the past two seasons.
The Formula Racing category showcases four emerging talents. Sixteen-year-old Thai-Spanish driver Enzo Tarnvanichkul moves up after finishing eighth in Eurocup-3 and winning a race in the GB3 series at Brands Hatch last season.
Fifteen-year-old Swiss driver Chiara Bättig becomes the only female in the Red Bull Junior Team after impressing in karting competitions. She will drive for Hitech GP in the British F4 Championship.
Rocco Coronel, son of Dutch driver Tom Coronel, joins the program after winning the Ginetta Junior Championship title in 2025. The young Dutch talent is expected to continue racing in the Spanish F4 series.
Fifteen-year-old Swedish driver Scott Kin Lindblom completes the lineup after finishing fourth in the Ginetta Junior Championship last season. He will drive alongside Bättig for Hitech GP in the British F4 Championship.
The 2026 season represents a new chapter for Red Bull's development program as it continues to identify and nurture the next generation of Formula 1 talent without Helmut Marko's direct oversight for the first time in decades.
Source: gpblog.com