“Three Enzo’s, there’s a theme developing” – Fans react as Indian driver among others removed in major Red Bull junior programme shake-up
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Jehan Daruvala
The Red Bull Junior program is arguably the most successful F1 driver academy. The Austrian team has supported dozens of drivers over the years, many of whom have made it big. Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen are two world champions who were supported by Helmut Marko and Red Bull. As such, every racing driver hopes to get the interest of this energy drinks giant. Although, in recent times, the team has signed drivers outside of its pool, be it Sergio Perez for Red Bull or Nyck de Vries at Alpha Tauri.
However, the Red Bull academy is brutal. Drivers who do not perform are quickly sidelined in favor of newer and more interesting talent. Thus, heading into the 2023 racing season, the Austrian junior program went through a major change. Jehan Daruvala, an exciting Indian talent was amongst many to be sidelined by Red Bull. The other drivers leaving this driver academy are Johnny Edgar, Yuto Namura, and Noel Leon. These four racing drivers will be forced to look elsewhere if they hope to continue their dream of a successful racing career.
On the other hand, the Red Bull driver program has added a host of new names. Enzo Fittipaldi, the grandson of F1 legend, Emerson Fittipaldi joins the Austrian team, certainly a big surname in racing. Pietro Fittipaldi is a driver aligned with the Haas F1 team. Sebastian Montoya, the son of former F1 race winner, Juan Pablo Montoya has also become a Red Bull junior driver. The other drivers joining this reputable squad are Enzo Deligny, Enzo Tarvanichkul, and Zane Maloney.
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Fans discuss Red Bull junior team’s new additions
After this information was posted on Reddit. Some users speculated about a pattern. The Red Bull junior program will be supporting three drivers with the name Enzo this year. Something which some fans believe it to be bigger than just a coincidence. One fan said, “Three Enzos, there’s a theme developing.” While another user was glad to see two racing drivers coming from former F1 greats to the Helmut Marko clan. The user said, “So that’s a Montoya and a Fittipaldi now in the Red Bull camp.”
Contrarily, many fans were disappointed in seeing some of the drivers leave Red Bull. One user mentioned their fate in Jehan Daruvala‘s talent but also stated it not being enough for F1. The fan said, “I always thought Jehan had something good, but apparently just not enough to push up to that tier.” While another user was disappointed in the exit of Jonny Edgar, a driver who was suffering from a medical condition in 2022. The user said, “Dropping Edgar after he was fighting illness all year is a real shame.”
Thus, the fans have a mixed reaction. Many are glad to see new faces getting the opportunity to race under Red Bull’s backing. With the hope of seeing them perhaps get an opportunity to race in F1 one day. However, it is a double-edged sword. Some users are not glad to see their favorite drivers being dropped off. But again, life can be cruel, especially when you’re under pressure to perform for Helmut Marko.
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Armaan Agarwal
(2310 Articles Published)