Jak Crawford grateful to have been able to be part of the Red Bull Junior Program

Out of the 20 drivers on the 2024 grid, six of them were trained by Red Bull’s young driver program. Daniel Ricciardo, Max Verstappen, Pierre Gasly, and Alexander Albon all drove for the Austrian team, while Carlos Sainz and Yuki Tsunoda did not have this opportunity.

This program has allowed the Austrian group to win its seven driver titles, including four by Sebastian Vettel, who was also trained by Red Bull from 2010 to 2013, and three by Verstappen since 2021. But since Albon’s promotion during the 2019 season, no young driver from the Red Bull stable has had a seat as a regular driver in the main team. And since Yuki Tsunoda in 2021, no young driver has been a regular driver in the Italian team.

Some drivers have also left Formula 1 through the back door after being accompanied by this academy. Jean-Eric Vergne, who left in 2015, Brendon Hartley, who only had one full season with Toro Rosso, and Daniil Kvyat, who was dismissed from the Italian team in 2017, before returning in 2019 and being replaced again in 2021.

It was a great opportunity for me.

To find the rare gem, like Verstappen and Vettel, Red Bull doesn’t hesitate to hire a large number of drivers within its young driver program. This allows them to find the necessary funding to progress in single-seater categories and be part of one of the best F1 academies.

The 18-year-old American Jak Crawford was among the fortunate ones who were supported by the beverage brand. He will be competing in his second season of F2 this year, joining DAMS. Although he no longer has the support of Red Bull, he keeps good memories of it.

(S): It’s a quite strange feeling, I feel like I’ve been doing this for a long time. But when you look at my age compared to most of the guys, I’m probably one of the youngest still in F2. So it’s very weird to look at because I feel like I’ve had a long single-seater career so far and if you look at some of the other drivers in their twenties, they have much more experience than me in single-seaters, highlights Jak Crawford.

(I) I feel like I’m in a good position. It’s a bit strange to say that I’ve been with Red Bull for four years, that I was let go and that I’m only 18 years old. But I think it’s a good opportunity for me, I feel relieved from the pressure, explains the American.

There are also many good learning opportunities. Guillaume Roquelin, who is now in charge of the junior team, arrived in the middle of 2022. Since then, I had the impression that there had been a huge change in the program. It was more educational. I was learning more, receiving more feedback on everything, and had more preparation before the race from Red Bull. So, I really enjoyed this aspect as well, rejoices the DAMS driver.