Red Bull had three F1 stars in their hands – and let all three slip away
Photo: Race Pictures
Tobia is a Formula 1 journalist at GPblog with experience at international circuits. Since 2022, he has covered Grands Prix across Europe, delivering reliable coverage and insights from the paddock.
Christian Horner has disclosed that Red Bull had the opportunity to evaluate George Russell, Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri before any of them reached Formula 1, with all three drivers impressing during sessions on the team's simulator. However, despite their performances attracting attention within the organisation, none eventually became part of Red Bull's junior programme.
The former Red Bull team principal shared the story during an appearance on the High Performance Podcast, explaining that the three drivers had used the team's facilities while pursuing their ambitions of reaching Formula 1.
Their simulator sessions were privately funded by their families, who paid Red Bull for access to the equipment. Although the drivers were not officially associated with the team's development programme, their performances reportedly stood out when compared with those of the youngsters already supported by Red Bull.
Russell, Norris and Piastri would eventually follow different routes into Formula 1, joining rival manufacturers' junior programmes before securing their places on the grid.
Russell became a Mercedes junior driver and made his Formula 1 debut with Williams in 2019, while Norris joined McLaren's development programme before earning his first race seat that same year. Piastri, meanwhile, was supported by Renault and Alpine during his junior career before moving to McLaren for his Formula 1 debut in 2023.
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Photo: Race Pictures
Horner reveals how Red Bull were warned about Norris, Russell, and Piastri
Reflecting on the early encounters with the drivers, Horner explained that Red Bull's simulator operator had been particularly impressed by their abilities, even suggesting they were outperforming some of the team's existing prospects.
"I remember George Russell was paying us to go on our simulator, and as was Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, their dads were writing checks for them to run on the driver simulator that we had. The guy that was looking after it was coming up to me and saying, 'Christian, these kids are better than the juniors we've got at the moment.'"
The feedback was significant enough for Horner to raise the matter with Helmut Marko, who oversaw Red Bull's driver development programme and played a central role in identifying young talent for the organisation: "I remember taking them to Helmut and going, 'I really think you should look at these guys.'"
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Nevertheless, the three drivers continued their careers outside the Red Bull system, eventually establishing themselves at rival Formula 1 teams, with Norris even going on to win the 2025 title after defeating Red Bull's Max Verstappen in the title battle.
Looking back at the situation, Horner jokingly expressed his frustration at seeing the drivers achieve success elsewhere, delivering a typically blunt assessment of the missed opportunity: "Wankers. Look who that, turned out well for in the end."
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