Best Red Bull F1 Drivers Of All Time

Editorial credit: Jay Hirano Photography / Shutterstock.com

The energy drinks brand Red Bull arrived in Formula 1 in 2005, and with its innovative young driver program, has revolutionized the entire grid, taking on big car brands that were already well established in the category, such as Ferrari or McLaren, and becoming in a few years one of the strongest teams. That said, who are the best drivers who have raced for Red Bull?

Sebastian Vettel is the most successful driver in Red Bull\’s history, with 4 titles and 38 victories, followed by Max Verstappen, who recently became double world champion. Other top drivers who have raced for Red Bull include Mark Webber, Daniel Ricciardo, and Sergio Pérez.

Initially, no one would have thought that Red Bull\’s project would be successful, as it is not even a car brand. The great investment behind it and the great management have allowed it to become one of the best teams in the category. In this article, we will take a look at Red Bull\’s best drivers during their 18 seasons in F1.


Red Bull Racing Through the Years

Austrian Dietrich Mateschitz, the founder of Red Bull and a great racing enthusiast, bought the Formula 1 team Jaguar at the end of 2004 after having been sponsoring the Sauber team for a decade, and the following year he bought a second team, Minardi.

With two teams in Formula 1, Red Bull and Toro Rosso, and a large investment behind it, the aim of the energy drink brand were to create a young driver program in the lower categories, which would find the best talents who would debut in F1 with Toro Rosso, the second team, with whom to train and fight for points and eventually move up to Red Bull, where they would fight for victories and championships.

That was Mateschitz\’s initial plan, which did not take many years to materialize, thanks to the figures of Helmut Marko, team adviser, Christian Horner, team principal, and Adrian Newey, technical director.

In 2006, Red Bull achieved its first podium, and in 2008, against all odds, it was Toro Rosso, led by Sebastian Vettel, who achieved the first victory for the energy drink brand in F1. However, from 2009 onwards, Red Bull defined itself as one of the strongest teams on the grid, achieving multiple victories and podiums, while Toro Rosso stagnated in the midfield.

From there, Red Bull dominated the grid from 2010 to 2013, with Sebastian Vettel becoming a four-time world champion as the team won all the constructors\’ championships. In 2014 came the hybrid era and with it the domination of Mercedes.

After 8 years in the shadow of the Silver Arrows, in 2021, Red Bull returned to the top with Max Verstappen, who became world champion against Lewis Hamilton. In 2022 the Dutchman has won his second title, leading Red Bull to the winning path again.

  • Red Bull Drivers’ Championships: 6 (2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2021, 2022).
  • Red Bull Constructors’ Championships: 5 (2010, 2011, 2012, 1013, 2022).

Grand Prix Milestone Wins

WINYEARGRAND PRIXDRIVER
12009Chinese Grand PrixSebastian Vettel
102010European Grand PrixSebastian Vettel
252011Korean Grand PrixSebastian Vettel
502014Belgian Grand PrixDaniel Ricciardo
752021Abu Dhabi Grand PrixMax Verstappen
892022Japanese Grand PrixMax Verstappen

The Best F1 Red Bull Drivers

1. Sebastian Vettel

Team Years: 2009 – 2014

Races with the team: 113

Team wins: 38

Team podiums: 65

Team titles: 4 (2010, 2011, 2012 & 2013)

Sebastian Vettel is the most successful driver in Red Bull\’s Formula 1 history. The team is what it is today, thanks to his successes and feats. The German made his F1 debut in 2007 and raced his first full season in the category in 2008 with Toro Rosso, taking a magnificent victory in the Italian GP in wet conditions, which was the Red Bull brand\’s first in F1 with the \”second team\”.

Vettel established himself as one of the young promises of the category and was promoted to Red Bull in 2009, a year in which there was a profound change in aerodynamic regulations that made the team one of the fastest, thanks to the genius of Adrian Newey. Vettel did not miss the opportunity and, with 4 victories, was runner-up in the world championship.

After that, the German was in perfect harmony with his cars, winning 4 world championships in a row. In 2010 and 2012, he had it a bit more difficult, fighting until the last round, but 2011 and 2013 were absolute domination. In 2011, Vettel won 11 out of 19 races, and in 2013 13 out of 19, so he had no rival.

In 2014 came the hybrid era in Formula 1, and with it, the fall of Red Bull and the rise of Mercedes. Vettel failed to adapt to the 2014 car fully and was beaten by his new teammate, Daniel Ricciardo, leaving the team at the end of 2014 and signing for Ferrari in search of more titles.

2. Max Verstappen

Team Years: 2016 – present

Races with the team: 136

Team wins: 32

Team podiums: 74

Team titles: 2 (2021 & 2022)

Max Verstappen impressed everyone since his arrival in Formula 1. Red Bull added him to its young driver program at the age of 16, and after only one year of single-seater experience, the team announced that the Dutchman would make his F1 debut in 2015 with Toro Rosso, making him, at just 17, the youngest driver in history to make his debut in the category.

After a great season with Toro Rosso, Verstappen was promoted to Red Bull in 2016 following Daniil Kvyat\’s poor start to the season, who was demoted to Toro Rosso. In his first race with Red Bull, Verstappen took the victory to the stunned gaze of the entire world.

From the beginning, Verstappen was characterized by being extremely fast and intelligent on track, as well as aggressive, which made him get involved in accidents at times, but always ensured spectacle on track. During the era of Mercedes\’ dominance, he first shared team with Daniel Ricciardo, with whom he was very evenly matched.

The Australian beat him in 2016 and 2017, while Verstappen beat him in 2018. The tension in this rivalry caused Ricciardo to leave the team after that season, and since then, the Dutchman has had no teammate to match him.

During Mercedes\’ period of dominance, Verstappen scored some victories, and numerous podiums but could not match the Silver Arrows. In 2021, however, Red Bull built a car to match Mercedes, and the Dutchman, now with a competitive car, did not miss the opportunity and fought to the final round of the championship with Lewis Hamilton, whom he beat in an epic last race.

In 2022, with major aerodynamic changes in place, Red Bull has taken over the Mercedes legacy, and Verstappen has won his second title with 4 races to go, adding to his legend.

3. Mark Webber

Team Years: 2007 – 2013

Races with the team: 129

Team wins: 9

Team podiums: 41

Team titles: 0

Mark Webber joined Red Bull in 2007 when the project was still in its construction phase. For 7 seasons, the Australian helped to consolidate the project, being a key figure in the development of the cars. In his first season with the team, Webber scored a fantastic podium finish at the European GP.

The departure of David Coulthard at the end of 2008 meant that Webber would become the team\’s clear first driver for 2009, but the arrival of young talent Sebastian Vettel prevented this, finishing ahead in his first year with the team.

In 2010, however, the two were very evenly matched, and in fact, it was the Australian who spent most of the season ahead of Vettel, fighting for the championship against Fernando Alonso. Webber reached the final race with 238 points, 8 behind Alonso, while Vettel arrived with 231.

Although conditions seemed favorable for Alonso and Webber, it was Vettel who took the title, due in part to the poor race strategy followed by the Spaniard and the Australian. After this season, Webber was never again at Vettel\’s level, consolidating his position as the clear second driver and retiring at the end of 2013, after failing to score any victories that season.

4. Daniel Ricciardo

Team Years: 2014 – 2018

Races with the team: 100

Team wins: 7

Team podiums: 29

Team titles: 0

Daniel Ricciardo made his Formula 1 debut in 2011 with backmarker HRT, and in 2012 he signed for Toro Rosso. After two good seasons with the second team, the Australian was promoted to Red Bull in 2014 following the departure of his compatriot Mark Webber.

Against all odds, Ricciardo beat the four-time champion, Sebastian Vettel, in his first season with Red Bull, taking three wins and finishing third in the championship, just behind the dominant Mercedes. This forced the German out of the team, who was replaced by Daniil Kvyat in 2015.

On the track, the Australian has been known for his famous divebombs overtakes, while off the track, his funny personality and big smile have made him one of the most loved drivers. 2015 was his weakest season, in which he was beaten by Kvyat and scored only 2 podiums. In 2016 and 2017 he beat his new teammate, Max Verstappen, although the young Dutchman was not far behind in terms of performance.

Tension gradually grew between Ricciardo and Verstappen, as they were two top drivers on the same team, so there were some clashes between them during the 2018 season, such as the accident they had at the Azerbaijan GP.

At the end of the season, it was Verstappen who came out ahead in the championship, thus getting the support of the team, so at the end of 2018, Ricciardo left Red Bull and signed for Renault, in search of the long-awaited title.

5. Sergio Pérez

Team Years: 2021 – present

Races with the team: 40

Team wins: 3

Team podiums: 14

Team titles: 0

After nearly 10 years of Formula 1 experience, Mexico\’s Sergio Pérez scored his fantastic first F1 win at the 2020 Shakir GP with Racing Point, earning him a seat at Red Bull for 2021 when it looked like he would be out of the category.

Pérez thus became the first driver to drive for Red Bull who had not been trained in the energy drink brand\’s young driver program since Mark Webber. The Mexican replaced Alexander Albon, who had underperformed all season.

Since then, the Mexican has not disappointed and has more than fulfilled the role of second driver, achieving podiums on a regular basis and protecting Verstappen for the championship. In 2021, Pérez scored 1 win and 5 podiums and was key in defending Verstappen from Hamilton when he needed it, as he did for several laps in the season finale in Abu Dhabi.

In 2022, after the first year of adaptation to the car and the team, Pérez has improved significantly, and so far has achieved 2 victories 9 podiums, being second in the championship, thus ensuring the constructors\’ championship for Red Bull. After several years with drivers who did not perform well at Red Bull, such as Kvyat, Gasly or Albon, the Mexican driver has simply been what the team needed.

6. David Coulthard

Team Years: 2005 – 2008

Races with the team: 71

Team wins: 0

Team podiums: 2

Team titles: 0

David Coulthard joined Red Bull after the purchase of Jaguar, and drove for the team for four seasons, being a key figure in the team\’s development during its early years.

The Scotsman made his Formula 1 debut in 1994, so his vast experience in the category was of great use to the new energy drinks team. During the 4 seasons in which Coulthard drove for Red Bull, he remained at a high level, although the cars were not very competitive.

2 podiums in 4 seasons may not seem so incredible, but in reality, they have great merit, as the first Red Bull cars only aspired to score points in every race. The Scot scored the first podium in Red Bull\’s history, at the 2006 Monaco GP, which was highly celebrated.

In 2008, Coulthard scored another podium finish for the energy drinks team and the last of his F1 career. The Scot beat all his teammates during his time at Red Bull, with the exception of Mark Webber in 2008, who beat him by a wide margin. At the end of 2008, and after 15 seasons in F1, Coulthard retired from the category but remained closely linked to the Red Bull project.

7. Daniil Kvyat

Team Years: 2015 – 2016

Races with the team: 21

Team wins: 0

Team podiums: 2

Team titles: 0

Daniil Kvyat made his Formula 1 debut in 2014 with Toro Rosso, after winning the GP3 championship. Despite being beaten by teammate Jean-Eric Vergne during his first season, the Russian was promoted to Red Bull in 2015 to replace Sebastian Vettel.

Red Bull was not particularly competitive in 2015, as they started the season with many problems. Kvyat managed a second-place finish in the Hungarian GP, and beat by 3 points his teammate, Daniel Ricciardo, who had had some retirements due to technical problems, and who was still the first driver of the team.

In 2016, Kvyat scored a podium finish in the third round of the season, the Chinese GP. However, the numerous incidents he had been involved in and his reckless driving caused him to be demoted to Toro Rosso again after the fourth round, a fact that had not happened before and left everyone shocked.

After two sluggish seasons with Toro Rosso, Kvyat was fired from the team but was recalled again for 2019. However, although he had some solid performances, such as his podium finish at the 2019 German GP, the Russian was far behind Gasly during the second half of 2019 and all of 2020, so he was dismissed, one last time, from the team.

8. Alexander Albon

Team Years: 2019 – 2020

Races with the team: 26

Team wins: 0

Team podiums: 2

Team titles: 0

Alexander Albon made his debut with Toro Rosso in 2019, where he put in some great performances during his first races, scoring some good points, with a great sixth place in the German GP in wet conditions. Due to his solid performances and Pierre Gasly\’s poor pace at Red Bull, Albon was promoted to the \”A-team\” as of the 2019 Belgian GP, in what was only the Thai\’s 13th GP in F1.

Albon was quite far behind Verstappen during the second half of the season, but he performed better than Gasly had done, as except for the Brazilian GP, he finished every race in the top 6, albeit without scoring any podiums. The team trusted him, so he continued to drive for Red Bull in 2020.

However, the Thai continued to lag far behind Verstappen and did not perform at the expected level at any point during the season. Albon managed only two podiums and was stuck in the middle of the grid in most races, so for 2021 he was relegated to Red Bull\’s reserve driver position.

In 2022, Albon was hired by Williams, where he is performing at a high level.

9. Pierre Gasly

Team Years: 2019

Races with the team: 12

Team wins: 0

Team podiums: 0

Team titles: 0

Pierre Gasly\’s story is one of ups and downs, just like many other drivers on this list. The Frenchman made his F1 debut with Toro Rosso during the last 6 rounds of 2017 and completed his first full season in 2018.

With the car he had, the Frenchman put in some good performances and outperformed teammate Brendon Hartley by a large margin. This earned him a seat at Red Bull for 2019 following Daniel Ricciardo\’s departure from the team.

However, the Frenchman performed incredibly poorly at Red Bull compared to Verstappen, so he was demoted back to Toro Rosso from the Belgian GP onwards, being replaced by Alexander Albon.

The Frenchman, after this harsh statement, recovered very quickly and has since become one of the best drivers on the grid with Toro Rosso (now renamed AlphaTauri).

Gasly scored a podium finish at the 2019 Brazilian GP and an incredible victory at the 2020 Italian GP. In addition, the Frenchman has been outperforming his cars and scoring on a regular basis, positioning himself as one of the fastest drivers on the grid.

Gasly\’s case opened the debate about the management of Red Bull\’s young driver program and whether they sometimes promote young drivers too quickly, which in the long run could be detrimental to their racing careers.

10. Christian Klien

Team Years: 2005 – 2006

Races with the team: 28

Team wins: 0

Team podiums: 0

Team titles: 0

Christian Klien made his Formula 1 debut with Jaguar in 2004, and after Red Bull\’s purchase of the team, the Austrian continued as an official driver, driving alongside David Coulthard during the team\’s first seasons and laying the foundations of the project for the coming years.

In 2005, the Austrian missed 4 races, as he gave the seat to the other Red Bull-sponsored driver, Vitantonio Liuzzi. Klien completed some solid performances, finishing in the points in 5 races, which, together with Red Bull\’s purchase of a second team and, therefore a greater number of free seats, allowed him to continue in F1 for the following season.

However, in 2006 his performance was much worse than that of David Coulthard, who scored a podium and was more consistent than the Austrian. As a result, halfway through the season, the team announced that he would not continue for the following year.


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Editorial credit: motorsports Photographer / Shutterstock.com

Conclusion

In 18 seasons in Formula 1, Red Bull has gone from being a billionaire\’s investment to one of the strongest teams on the grid, revolutionizing the way the sport is understood. Hundreds of young drivers have belonged to Red Bull\’s young driver program, but only 12 have made their debut with the first team.

Red Bull\’s young driver program has been a tremendous success, with numerous drivers from the current grid having belonged to it in the past. Some of them, as we have seen, have gone down in the history books for their successes.


References