Red Bull sign two wonderkids to F1 academy including driver ditched by Alpine

have added former junior driver Nikola Tsolov and karting prodigy Niklas Shaufler to their junior team ahead of the 2025 season as and continue their search for F1-worthy talent.

The news of Tsolov's arrival comes just days after the Bulgarian starlet announced his exit from the Alpine junior programme. The 17-year-old, who is a prodigy in Fernando Alonso's management stable, has endured a challenging first two years in the Formula Three championship.

"I would like to thank Alpine Academy for the past three successful years working together!" Tsolov said on Instagram. "We've dominated in Formula 4 and stepped up to Formula 3 with great results. It's been an incredible journey with a lot of learning and progress. I wish the team all the best and I'm sure they will have a lot of further success in the future!"

Despite ending his first two seasons in the series 22nd and 11th respectively, Red Bull are right to see the promise in Tsolov. Among the Bulgarian's seven points finishes in 2024 were three victories, including a memorable feature race triumph at the Hungaroring.

He will have a new Formula Three team behind him in 2025, linking up with Campos Racing alongside Mari Boya and Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak. The Spanish squad have a long-standing relationship with Red Bull and currently house F2 starlets Isack Hadjar and Pepe Marti.

According to a report from , Campos played a 'crucial role' in bringing Tsolov into the Red Bull junior team. The Spanish squad wanted the 17-year-old in their line-up for 2025 after a post-season test and knowing that his Alpine backing was about to end, contacted the reigning F1 champions to arrange a deal.

Schaufler, meanwhile, joins the Red Bull junior squad ahead of his first season in Formula cars in 2025. The 14-year-old is a three-time karting champion in 2024 and hopes to follow the likes of Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen in completing the long journey to F1.

"Of course, it is a big step, I have never driven any kind of race car," the new recruit said. "The nearest thing is driving my dad's 12-year-old Polo around a parking area, I burnt a bit of rubber but I don't think that experience is going to count for much.

"I aim to gain as much experience as possible as I adapt to the car and as soon as I can. I want to be fighting for the podium and for wins, then I might be having a bit of fun as well as the hard work."