Gallery: Red Bull juniors who didn't get their F1 chance with Toro Rosso
Red Bull has arguably the most extensive driver development problem of all, but the energy drinks giant isn't afraid of dropping drivers who, in their opinion, are simply aren't good enough.
Sebastian Vettel, Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen are all Red Bull proteges, their careers sponsored by the Austrian brand from a very young age.
However, not many drivers from the Red Bull's programme made it as far as F1. And with little financial backing from other sources, they were forced to look out for alternative careers in other forms of motorsport.
We've compiled a list of Red Bull juniors who never got their chance to race with any of the company's two Formula 1 squads.
2001-2003 (years in Red Bull programme): 
Patrick Friesacher
Photo by: Cliff Rice
During Red Bull years: Patrick Friesacher was one of the first drivers to be inducted in Red Bull's young driver development programme. Naturally, Red Bull was keen on supporting local drivers from Austria, with Friesacher being one of the five drivers from the energy giant's home country. He spent three seasons in Formula 3000 as a Red Bull junior, but was shown the door due to lack of success.
Patrick Friesacher
Photo by: Sutton Images
After Red Bull: Friesacher still somehow got into F1 with Minardi in 2005, even managing to score points at the infamous 2005 US Grand Prix. However, he was dropped from the team during the middle of the season after his sponsors failed to meet the obligations. After his F1 stint he joined A1 GP, but suffered a serious accident in 2008. Nowadays, he works as an instructor at the Red Bull Ring and gives taxi rides in a two-seater F1 car.
2003-2004: Мathias Lauda
Photo by: Dave Dyer
During Red Bull: Red Bull were naturally keen on having Mathias Lauda, son of triple world champion and F1 legend, Niki. However, his results in junior series were highly unsatisfactory: he finished eighth in World Series Lights and could only grab five points in Formula 3000.
Маthias Lauda
Photo by: JEP / Motorsport Images
After Red Bull: Lauda didn't achieve much success single seaters nor in Germany's DTM. However, more recently, he's been performing well in the WEC and is contention for the GTE Am title.
2004: 
Narain Karthikeyan
Photo by: Dave Dyer
During Red Bull years: India's Narain Karthikeyan was a part of Red Bull's programme during 2004, when he competed in World Series by Nissan. He won two races and finished sixth in the championship, but that didn't prove enough to please the bosses at Red Bull.
Narain Karthikeyan
After Red Bull: Immediately after being dropped by Red Bull, Karthikeyan found an F1 drive with Jordan. Apart from the farce US GP, he didn't get to score points. He later returned to grand prix racing with the ill-fated HRT Team between 2011-12, before focusing his efforts on Super Formula, where he has bagged a few podiums.
2005-2007: 
Neel Jani
Photo by: Lucien Harmegnies
During Red Bull years: Neel Jani, a Swiss driver of Indian origin, competed in A1 GP and GP2 series during the three years he spent as a Red Bull, winning the former in 2007-08. He also raced in America's Champ Car series, where he finished ninth in the championship with a podium finish.
Neel Jani
Photo by: Porsche AG
After Red Bull: Jani has found much plenty of success in sportscar in post-Red Bull years, winning the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the WEC double last year. Following Porsche's exit from the series, he will move to Formula E with Dragon Racing. However, he remains under contract with Porsche, who will have the option to field him once they themselves join the all-electric series in 2019.
2005-2007: 
Filipe Albuquerque
Photo by: Fabrice Crosnier
В During Red Bull years: Red Bull recruited Filipe Albuquerque after being impressed by his performance in karting. He made a successful transition to single-seaters, winning Formula Renault Eurocup and NEC titles in 2006. However, the Austrian brand preferred other drivers in the programme over him, namely Vettel, Buemi, Alguersuari and Hartley.
Filipe Albuquerque
Photo by: Erik Junius
After Red Bull: Filipe Albuquerque tried his luck in A1GP, finishing third in the 2008-09 season. Like some other drivers in the list, he also turned his attention to sportscar racing - and has achieved some success. He finished second in the LMP2 class of WEC last year and has won races in both ELMS and IMSA. This year, the Portuguese driver almost won the Daytona 24 Hours.
2005-2008: 
Stefano Coletti
Photo by: BMW AG
During Red Bull years: Like Albuquerque, Stefano Coletti drew the attention of Red Bull during his karting years. During his four year stint with Red Bull, he never finished inside the top 3 in any of the series he competed in, hence losing the backing of the Austrian brand.
Stefano Coletti
Photo by: Vision Sport Agency
After Red Bull: Coletti graduated to GP2 where he won a few races over a period of four years. However, again he was was never in contention for the championship. Last year, he finished third in ELMS, driving for SMP Racing.
2005-2009: 
Mikhail Aleshin
Photo by: GP2 Series Media Service
During Red Bull years: Red Bull found a Russian driver in Mikhail Aleshin that they had been longing for a while. After some success in junior Formula Renault categories, he was thrown in the dead end in the primary Formula Renault 3.5 series. He joined the ill-fated Formula 2 series in 2009. Even though he finished third in the championship, lack of competition meant that his result was undermined.
Mikhail Aleshin
Photo by: Michael L. Levitt / Motorsport Images
After Red Bull: Aleshin got the revenge when he beat another Red Bull junior Daniel Ricciardo to the 2010 Formula Renault 3.5 title. His career stalled for a few years thereafter, until he found himself an Indycar drive in 2014. He scored two podiums in the American open wheel series, but lost his drive before the end of this season.
2006: Sergey Afanasyev
Photo by: Lucien Harmegnies
During Red Bull years: Another Russian, Sergey Afanasyev, was part of Red Bull for just one year in 2006. He finished eighth in the Swiss version of Formula Renault and runner-up in its more competitive NEC sibiling.
Sergey Afanasyev
Photo by: Brecht Decancq Photography
After Red Bull: Afanasyev found success in the old Formula 2 and AutoGP series, but neither of them are regarded highly. Therefore, he moved to touring car racing, winning the 2013 FIA GT series in the Pro-Am class. He also scored a few podiums in TCR International in the following few years, but has been absent from racing this year.
2006-2009: 
Robert Wickens
Photo by: Red Bull GmbH and GEPA pictures GmbH
During Red Bull years: Red Bull was impressed by Robert Wickens' performance in America and placed him in Formula Renault 3.5. He also raced in A1 GP and Formula 2, where he became the vice champion in 2009. However, he and Red Bull went separate ways after three years together.
Robert Wickens
Photo by: Art Fleischmann
After Red Bull: After losing Red Bull backing, Wickens moved to GP3, finishing runner up in the champion. He then returned to Formula Renault 3.5 the following year and duly won the title. A move to DTM with Mercedes followed, where he won six races in as many years. For next season, he will be moving to Indycar.
2007-2008: 
Тom Dilmann
Photo by: Lucien Harmegnies
During Red Bull years: Tom Dilmann was recruited by Red Bull before the 2007 racing season. He was placed into Formula 3 Euro Series but missed the start of the year due to an accident in pre-season testing. He eventually finished ninth in the championship with a few podiums to his name. Performance in 2008 across Formula 3 Euro Series and Italian F3 wasn't spectacular either, forcing Red Bull to drop him from their programme.
Тom Dilmann
Photo by: Malcolm Griffiths / Motorsport Images
After Red Bull: Dilmann has raced in a variety of series in the last few years and won the Formula V8 3.5 title last year, albeit against a much smaller field. He also took part in the second half of 2016/17 Formula E season with Venturi.
2007-2008: Jean-Karl Vernay
Photo by: Lucien Harmegnies
During Red Bull years: Jean-Karl Vernay got into the Red Bull programme at the same time as Dilmann and his performance was somewhat similar. Unsurprisingly, he also didn't have a lasting future with the energy drinks giant.
2007-2008: Jean-Karl Vernay
Photo by: TCR media
After Red Bull: Things only went better for Vernay after he was dropped by Red Bull. He finished second in the iconic Macau F3 race in 2009 and won the Indy Lights title on his debut the following year. He didn't have enough sponsorship to graduate to Indycar, forcing him to move to touring and sportscar racing - where he found more success. The Frenchman won the Le Mans 24 Hours in the GTE Am class in 2013 and currently leads the TCR International standings with one round still to go.
2008: Karun Chandhok
Photo by: GP2 Series Media Service
During Red Bull years: Karun Chandhok won the Hockenheim GP2 race in 2007, which drew the attention of then F1 CEO Bernie Ecclestone, who was keen to have an Indian driver on the grid. Chandhok won another race in 2008 and came close to winning the Monaco GP a year later. However, he and Red Bull mutually decided not to continue their association, despite the Indian testing their F1 car at at least one occasion.
Кarun Chandhok
Photo by: Marc Fleury
After Red Bull: Chandhok got his F1 chance with new-for-2010 Hispania squad, but was dropped before the end of the season due to financial issues. He made a one-off appearance with Lotus in 2013. Since then he's been competed in endurance races and also drove for Mahindra during the inaugural Formula E season. This year, he only took part in Le Mans 24 Hours. The Indian continues to be a heritage driver for Williams F1 team.
2012-2013: Аntonio Felix da Costa
Photo by: Renault Sport
During Red Bull years: Antonio Felix da Costa got the call from Red Bull in the middle of 2012 season and he impressed straightaway. The Portuguese driver won four out of the last five Formula Renault 3.5 races of the year, while bagging three more victories in GP3.
Аntonio Felix da Costa
Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images
After Red Bull: Since the Red Bull exit, Da Costa won one race apiece in DTM and Formula E. He will stay with Andretti in the electric championship next year, having stopped racing in DTM since the end of 2016.
2013: 
Тom Blomqvist
Photo by: Stella-Maria Thomas
During Red Bull years: Tom Blomqvist joined Red Bull ahead of his maiden campaign in European F3 in 2013, where he finished in the championship. Red Bull reduced their programme from six to three drivers and Blomqvist was one of the trio to be ousted.
Том Бломквист
Photo by: Alexander Trienitz
After Red Bull years: Blomqvist finished runner-up in 2014 European F3 season, before signing up in DTM with BMW. He won a race in 2015 and finished sixth in '16, but this year his performance completely tailed off. The Englishman can join Formula E as early as the upcoming season as BMW steps up its involvement in the series.
2013: 
Beitske Visser
Photo by: ADAC Motorsport
During Red Bull: Female Dutch driver Beitske Visser was snapped up by Red Bull based on her performance in 2012 ADAC Masters season. However, she didn't show any improvement during her second year in the series, which is why her association with Red Bull didn't last for too long.
Beitske Visser
Photo by: Formula V8 3.5
After Red Bull: Beitske Visser competed for three seasons in Formula Renault 3.5, but failed to make an impression. This year she won a GT4 European Series Southern Cup race in Barcelona with Dennis Marshall.
2014: Аlex Lynn
Photo by: GP3 Series Media Service
During Red Bull years: Third place in 2013 European F3 season and a victory in Macau caught the eyeballs of Red Bull. Alex Lynn then won the GP3 series in 2014 as a Red Bull affiliated driver, but Red Bull instead chose Max Verstappen and Carlos Sainz Jr over him for the 2015 Toro Rosso seats. Knowing there were limited opportunities to make it into F1 with Red Bull, Lynn decided to part ways on his own terms.
Аlex Lynn
Photo by: Sam Bloxham / Motorsport Images
After Red Bull: Nor a development driver role with Williams nor two sixth-place finishes in GP2 standings could help Lynn gain an F1 drive, forcing him to look for an alternative career in other forms of motorsport. He took a class win at Spa for G-Drive Racing in the WEC and overall honours in this year's Sebring 12 Hours. However, his future seems to be in Formula E, where he already impressed with pole position on his debut.
2015: Dean Stoneman
Photo by: Marc Fleury
During Red Bull years: Dean Stoneman made a successful racing return in 2014, finishing second in GP3. He had to put racing on the back-burner after suffering from testicular cancer. However, he had a less than spectacular 2015 season as a Red Bull junior in Formula Renault 3.5 and was dropped from the programme at the end of the year.
Dean Stoneman
Photo by: Indianapolis Motor Speedway
После Red Bull: Stoneman tried to chase a career in the US, winning the main Firestone Freedom 100 series at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. This year he was seen in a few Blancpain Endurance races.
2016: Sergio Sette Camara
Photo by: James Gasperotti
Sergio Sette Camara
Photo by: FIA Formula 2
After Red Bull years: While still a Red Bull member, Camara signed a contract with MP Motorsport - one of the weakest team on the GP2/F2 grid. He struggled to even score points in early part of the season, but has since picked up pace. He won the sprint race at Spa and currently stands 12th in the championship, with the season finale in Abu Dhabi still to run.
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About this article
| Series | Formula 1 |
| Drivers | Antonio Felix da Costa , Tom Blomqvist , Neel Jani , Robert Wickens , Alex Lynn , Mathias Lauda , Karun Chandhok , Mikhail Aleshin , Filipe Albuquerque , Tom Dillmann , Narain Karthikeyan , Stefano Coletti , Dean Stoneman , Jean-Karl Vernay , Beitske Visser , Sergey Afanasyev , Patrick Friesacher , Sergio Sette Camara |
| Teams | Red Bull Racing Shop Now , Toro Rosso Shop Now |
| Author | Глеб Каланов |
