Red Bull adds young Italian F4 champion to Junior Team

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Red Bull has signed up highly rated 17-year-old charger Kacper Sztuka from Poland to its Junior Team.

Only time will tell if the young gun will one day prove to be the worthy successor to his countryman Robert Kubica in Formula 1, but he’s certainly off to a good start.

In 2021, Sztuka became at 15 the youngest Polish racing driver in Formula 4 history when he made his debut in the very competitive Italian F4 Championship.

Two years on, driving for US Racing, the talented teenager won this year’s series, raking in 9 wins and an equal amount of pole positions to beat Red Bull protégé Arvid Lindblad to the title.

And for good measure, Sztuka also added the 2023 Formula Winter Series title to his credentials.

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In a meeting this week with polish media, AlphaTauri CEO Peter Bayer confirmed that Sztuka – who is also supported by the F1 team’s Polish sponsor Orlen – had been snapped up by the energy drink company and added to its pool of prospects.

In 2024, Red Bull will have a quality representation in the FIA Formula 3 Championship, with Lindblad and Sztuka both racing in the feeder series under the bulls’ banner.

Lindblad, who is British of Swedish and Indian descent is set to compete in F3 with Prema while Sztuka is expected to join the series’ ranks with MP Motorsport, having tested with the latter at F3’s post-season test at Imola.

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Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.