Red Bull Junior Team

The Red Bull Junior Team is a driver development program run by the energy drink company Red Bull GmbH in an attempt to identify potential future racing stars in open wheel racing. The similar Red Bull Driver Search, now ended, was an American spinoff of the same idea. Members of the Junior Team are financed and sponsored by Red Bull in lower racing formulae.

The programs have been successful in bringing a selection of drivers into Formula One. Three of them, Sebastian Vettel, Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen have won a Formula One race. Red Bull owns two teams in Formula One, Red Bull Racing and Scuderia Toro Rosso.

The Red Bull Junior Team was also the name of RSM Marko, a team that competed in International Formula 3000 between 1999 and 2003, sponsored by Red Bull and run by Helmut Marko.

The Red Bull Junior Team was formed in 2001 as Red Bull's European driver programme. Red Bull offers funding and support for the promising young drivers that are part of the programme. In 2004, Christian Klien became the first Red Bull Junior to race in Formula One, while in 2008, Sebastian Vettel became the first Red Bull Junior to win a Formula One Grand Prix, the Italian Grand Prix.

In 2016, Max Verstappen was promoted to Red Bull mid-season.

This list includes drivers who have graduated from the Junior Team to Toro Rosso but have not raced for Red Bull Racing. Former Red Bull Junior Team drivers who have driven for Toro Rosso and Red Bull Racing appear on the Graduates to Red Bull Racing table.

The scheme has been successful, with several of the drivers backed by Red Bull making it into Formula One:

As well as these, Red Bull supports many up-and-coming young drivers:

In 2004 Red Bull bought Jaguar Racing and renamed the team Red Bull Racing for the 2005 Formula One season. This offered an easy way in to Formula One for Red Bull Junior Team's drivers.

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