Red Bull Junior Team Now Led by ‘Rocky’ After Marko’s Exit
Guillaume ‘Rocky’ Rocquelin has stepped up as the main contact for Red Bull’s prestigious Junior Team following Helmut Marko’s departure, Red Bull Racing confirmed to GPblog.
Marko was the heart and soul of the academy for decades, discovering superstars like Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen. He handled everything from spotting new talent to signing drivers and working closely with junior racing teams.
The Austrian’s exit left many young drivers confused about who to turn to.
In recent days, drivers, their managers, and families were completely in the dark about who they should contact regarding Junior Team matters, GPblog has learned. Many were frantically trying to figure out who at Red Bull was now handling their careers.
This timing couldn’t be worse.
December and January are make-or-break months for racing development programs. It’s when teams decide which young drivers stay, who gets cut, which new talents join the program, and what racing categories each driver should compete in next season.
But Red Bull has finally cleared things up. ‘Rocky’ Rocquelin, who was already Head of the Driver Academy, will now take full control without Marko looking over his shoulder.
Rocquelin isn’t new to high-pressure roles at Red Bull. Most F1 fans remember him as Sebastian Vettel’s race engineer during the German’s championship-winning years.
The big question now: can Rocky maintain the same eye for talent that made Marko’s program so successful?
With several promising juniors currently in the pipeline—including Arvid Lindblad who’s set to join Racing Bulls in 2026—there’s a lot riding on Rocquelin’s leadership.
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