Red Bull will support six of the 22 drivers in Formula 2 this year, the most of any Formula 1 driver academy in the history of GP2/F2.
Red Bull has added 2022 FIA F3 runner-up Zane Maloney and Enzo Fittipaldi, who bounced back from needing pre-season brain surgery to finish eighth in a solid full-time rookie F2 season.
Maloney and Fittipaldi will race for Carlin in F2 this year, filling the seats vacated by new Williams F1 driver Logan Sargeant and Super Formula-bound Liam Lawson, who will remain on Red Bull’s junior roster.
Lawson will race for the Team Mugen outfit that has previously run then-Red Bull juniors including Pierre Gasly, Dan Ticktum, Pato O’Ward and Juri Vips in Japan.
The 2021 FIA F3 champion Dennis Hauger retains his backing despite a tricky rookie F2 campaign in which he finished 10th with single-seater behemoth Prema.
He switches to the MP Motorsport team that took Felipe Drugovich to the 2022 title and he’s likely to be joined by his 2022 team-mate and new Mahindra Formula E reserve driver Jehan Daruvala who has split with Red Bull ahead of 2023 after three years together.
Honda protege Ayumu Iwasa was seven points adrift of top rookie Sargeant in last year’s F2 standings after a highly impressive season with DAMS.
He’ll remain with DAMS for a second year of F2 and will be joined by Arthur Leclerc – younger brother of Charles – who is one of two Ferrari-backed drivers in the field along with new Prema driver Ollie Bearman.
Red Bull also brings another two F3 graduates into F2: Isack Hadjar and Jak Crawford. They finished fourth and seventh respectively in the third tier last year and will form an-all Red Bull-backed line-up at Hitech Grand Prix. Hadjar is rated particularly highly by Red Bull.
Six drivers in F2 marks Red Bull’s biggest-ever commitment to F1’s primary feeder series and surpasses the total of five drivers Ferrari supported in 2020. Mick Schumacher was the only driver of that quintet to make it to F1.
Mercedes is supporting one driver, Frederik Vesti, who switches from ART Grand Prix to Prema for his second year in F2, while Alpine junior Jack Doohan continues with Virtuosi for a second season.
Red Bull will be supporting one driver in FIA F3 this year, with the already-announced Sebastian Montoya undertaking his first full-time campaign with Hitech after a starring cameo at Monza last year.
Japanese driver Souta Arao, who finished third in French F4, will race in GB3 (previously British F3) with Hitech.
Red Bull will also continue to support Formula 4 driver Arvid Lindblad and new recruits Enzo Deligny (Spanish F4) and Enzo Tarnvanichkul (karting).
