Over the past few years, Red Bull have consistently changed their driver line-up. With the exception of Max Verstappen, no one has stuck around.
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McLaren CEO Zak Brown believes Red Bull Racing have ‘ruined’ a few Formula 1 drivers who made it to their team.
Over the past few years, Red Bull have consistently chopped and changed their driver line-up. With the exception of Max Verstappen, no one has really stuck around too long.
The likes of Daniil Kvyat, Daniel Ricciardio, Carlos Sainz, Pierre Gasly and Alex Albon have all left the team. While Ricciardo left of his own choice, the others were largely discarded.
“I think they’ve ruined a few that I think had it, but weren’t given enough opportunity,” he was quoted as saying by The Race.
“But they won the championship last year, we didn’t, so I can’t say they don’t know what they’re doing.
“But they’re a bit brutal. Carlos (Sainz) is a great example. Daniel [Ricciardo] had already proven how good he was but he chose to leave.
“(Sebastian) Vettel left. Max is a great story and someone that they found. (Alex) Albon, (Pierre) Gasly. Gasly looks like a hell of a driver.
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“They move through a lot of drivers. If you look at Red Bull’s history other than Max, they have let a handful of great drivers slip through their hands.”
It is worth noting, of course, that constant driver turnover was a norm in F1 at one point. However, teams are largely moving away from that formula now.
A number of drivers currently on the grid are on long-term deals; This includes McLaren drivers Lando Norris and Ricciardo.
Brown also spoke of Pato O’Ward, a Mexican driver who was dropped by Red Bull’s junior set-up after just six months. He is now under the McLaren umbrella in their IndyCar team.
“He definitely slipped through the cracks. I think Red Bull, while he was there, they only gave him about three races [in F2 and Super Formula].”
Despite that, it’s unlikely he will be in F1 for McLaren any time soon. This is mostly because McLaren’s driver line-up seems very secure.
“Right now we don’t have any seats available. Lando is under a very long-term contract. So that seat’s done. Daniel, we have another couple of years with. So there is no imminent seat available.
“Other than that, I’m not a believer that you have to be 18 to enter Formula 1. Some people believe, okay 22, you’re getting old. I don’t think that’s case at all.
“I think [it makes sense] to just get Pato some seat time because you never know, a driver gets injured or gets COVID, stranger things have happened. But what we won’t do is compromise the IndyCar team at all.”
