Red Bull drive may lose his Junior Team place for a very bitter reason

19:02, 12 Dec

Updated: 20:07, 12 Dec

byLudo van Denderen

Tim Tramnitz, one of Germany’s biggest talents, may lose his spot in the Red Bull Junior Team. Not due to his lack of skills, but because he doesn’t have a sufficient sponsor backing to co-finance a seat in Formula 2.

With MP Motorsport, Tim Tramnitz had a solid season in Formula 3, in which the Hamburg-born driver (21) won one race and ultimately finished fourth in the championship.

Normally, such results are more than enough to make the step up to Formula 2, but Tramnitz will not compete in that series next year, and he will also not return for a third year in Formula 3.

Photo: RacePictures

No money for Formula 2

There was certainly interest from F2, for example, from the team he competed with in F3, MP Motorsport, but it came with a price tag. A seat in Formula 2 costs around €2.5 million (£2.2 million) per year, which Tramnitz hoped to cover with help from sponsors ADAC and Red Bull. But the money those parties would contribute was not enough for a seat.

All Formula 2 seats have now been filled, so Tramnitz is (reluctantly) looking at other options. Preferably in single-seaters, but sports cars are also an option.

It’s a bitter pill to swallow that Tramnitz may lose his place in the Red Bull Junior Team. After all, the Austrian team cannot support a driver who isn’t racing in a prominent formula category.

It’s also unclear whether clarity on this will come in the short term. Helmut Marko was in charge of the Red Bull Junior Team, but as is known, the Austrian left Red Bull last week, after 20 years. It is unclear who is ultimately responsible for the program at the moment.

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