Max Verstappen and Red Bull may be thriving in Formula 1 now, but Zane Maloney and Enzo Fittipaldi could be champions of the future; the Formula 2 team-mates talk the Red Bull junior programme, trying to become Barbados' first F1 star, overcoming brain surgery and Lewis Hamilton's advice
Tuesday 25 April 2023 06:10, UK
Red Bull may be dominating on the Formula 1 grid, but there is a pool of young, hungry drivers ready to join the sport, with the hope of being the next Max Verstappen, Daniel Ricciardo or Sebastian Vettel.
Becoming a Formula 1 driver is the dream of millions across the world, but few of us contemplate the challenge of actually trying to achieve that goal when youngsters are aware that "in this game, you get one opportunity".
Sky Sports sat down with two of Red Bull's young drivers, Formula 2's Carlin team-mates Zane Maloney and Enzo Fittipaldi, to find out more about the journey, the challenges and the long and winding road that just might take you Formula 1.
Red Bull's reserve drivers Maloney and Liam Lawson are making a splash as they debut in Formula 2 and Super Formula respectively.
Meanwhile, fellow Red Bull junior Ayumu Iwasa is leading Formula 2 after the first three rounds and Fittipaldi, who comes from one of the most talented families of racing drivers, is showing his fight as he comes back from a horror crash in 2021 which landed him in hospital.
Maloney and Fittipaldi, 19 and 21 respectively, spoke to Sky Sports about the work they need to do to achieve their dream - being a racing driver can often be a full-time job.
To move forwards, towards Formula 1, you need two things - to win and to have sponsorship money.
F1 young driver programmes, run by teams, are therefore vital for helping talented drivers make the final few eye-wateringly expensive steps.
McLaren helped talents such as Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari helped Charles Leclerc, Mercedes helped George Russell and Alpine helped Oscar Piastri, but Red Bull's young driver programme is outstanding.
Max Verstappen, Sebastian Vettel, Daniel Ricciardo, Carlos Sainz, Pierre Gasly and Yuki Tssunoda are just a few of the talents that Red Bull have brought into the sport, through the junior team AlphaTauri and senior team Red Bull Racing.
Maloney and Fittipaldi are two of 12 drivers currently in the programme, one step closer to achieving the F1 dream.
While they are in the same programme, aiming for a common goal, Red Bull's younger drivers are very aware that their colleagues are also their rivals and their results are what define their future.
"We're team-mates, so yeah, we speak together a lot," said Maloney about his relationship with Fittipaldi.
"In terms of other drivers, even with me and Enzo, with everyone, we're all trying to beat each other.
"We're civil with each other, but it's more that we do the sim work with Red Bull, do everything else with Carlin and come on track, and try and do our best.
"The main target is to do your work and get results on track."
"We're fully focused on our championship, which is Formula 2, the focus is getting the job done," added Fittipaldi.
Maloney has taken the motorsport world by storm, leaving karts at the end of 2018 and already a step below F1 as the Red Bull test driver.
In his Formula 2 rookie season, the 19-year-old lies eighth in the 22-driver championship, having driven a stonking race in the Bahrain season-opener, fighting through the field from 18th to third.
The Barbadian bounced back from a disappointing weekend in Saudi Arabia to score a solid fifth in Australia before F2 heads to Azerbaijan this weekend.
F2 travels around with the F1 circuit as the undercard at 14 races in 2023, an experience the young Maloney admits is "very cool".
"I'm a rookie and I'm still learning," says Maloney.
"I learn from the team - also from Enzo and what he's done in F2 so far - and I'm confident that we can be there or there abouts in the next rounds to come.
"It's very cool to be travelling with the F1 circus, and how my career has gone so far.
"It's gone very quick - in 2021, I was in Formula Regional [the junior category before Formula 3], so to think that I'm now on the F1 package, one step below in F2, is a dream come true."
Maloney chases this dream with the added challenge that nobody from the Caribbean has ever made it to Formula 1.
On making history for Barbados as well as himself, Maloney says that it is "what I've been working towards my entire life".
"Of course, it's similar to all the other drivers around the world trying to make it into Formula 1 - the only difference is that there have been no Barbadian drivers, so I'm trying to do my job.
"If I were to get to Formula 1, having the Barbados flag behind me would be amazing.
"I know what's at stake and I know in this game you get one opportunity, so I need to do the best job I can in F2 and my dream is to be a Formula 1 driver, so if my future has 'Formula 1' written on it, then I'll be very happy.
"That's something I've been dreaming of my entire life, so until it happens, I won't stop working."
Fittipaldi is in his second full season of Formula 2, but things could quite easily have been different.
After a fellow driver stalled at the race start in Saudi Arabia in 2021, the then 20-year-old Fittipaldi had nowhere to go and his car went flying in a scary incident that underlines the very real dangers of motorsport.
The Brazilian-American would miss the final race in Abu Dhabi, sustaining a fractured heel and a cut above his eye before it later became clear that the youngster would require brain surgery to recover.
Reflecting on a "difficult time" in his career, Fittipaldi said: "I didn't know if I was going to go back racing.
"Luckily, everything came together, and I was able to find a seat and secure a sponsor to race last year in the last minute.
"It was a difficult time in my career, but I think in those moments, if you are able to overcome them, you always come out stronger, mentally, physically and just as a stronger person in general.
"It looks like a bad thing when you look back at it, but, for me, I look at it as something positive because I was able to overcome the difficulties and come back stronger than ever."
As Maloney bids for Formula 1 glory, he has had the fortune of having spoken to his hero at the top of the sport - Lewis Hamilton.
Like Hamilton, Maloney hopes to break down barriers, and the young Barbadian spoke of the large amount he's learned from his idol.
"I've spoken to him many times throughout my career," said Maloney.
"He came out to Barbados a few times to do Top Gear [festival] and Race of Champions [an annual motorsport event, involving drivers of all categories], so I've spoken to Lewis before, and he took out 20 minutes each time to speak to me.
"For sure, he'll always be the person I look up to most."
When asked for the best advice the seven-time champion had given him, Maloney responded "stay in school".
"When I first met him in Barbados, he said 'focus on school and then focus on racing afterwards'," said the 19-year-old.
"I did that a little bit but not as much as he said to.
"But yeah, he just said focus on day by day, living your life the right way, and if you do that, you'll be in the best position to do the job when it counts.
"And as you can see, whenever he gets the chance, he makes it count, and I think that's because he's living his life in the correct way with nutrition, training, mentally."
Hamilton's voice was a particular source of motivation for Maloney as he looked to climb to the top of world motorsport.
"He was in a similar place in terms of he didn't have anything growing up," said the 'boy from Barbados'.
"Of course, I'm in a different position, but I think every driver has to work for it no matter where you come from or who you are.
"The talent is something, but the hard work is what shines through in the end."
Enzo is not the first Fittipaldi to climb the motorsport ladder, towards Formula 1.
His grandfather, Emerson, is not just any former Formula 1 driver, but the 1972 and 1974 world champion - at the time, he was the youngest ever driver to take the F1 title.
So, is Enzo Fittipaldi under pressure as he carries this iconic name? Not according to the 21-year-old.
"I wouldn't say that there is really any pressure", said Fittipaldi.
"At the end of the day, I have to make my own name, and that's Enzo Fittipaldi.
"I know the Fittipaldi name has so much history in Formula 1 - it is an honour to carry that name on track.
"But, the only person that puts pressure is myself."
Instead, Fittipaldi has made a new name for himself among his fan base - 'the little shark'.
"I think it was just a name that the Brazilian fans came up with one or two years ago.
"We wouldn't have great qualifying, and then I would just come back through the field and finish on the podium many times.
"I embrace it," he laughed.
In this family affair that Formula 1 is for Enzo, his brother Pietro is the reserve driver for Haas F1 team.
"My brother is always trying to help, give advice and it's a great relationship that I have with my brother", said Fittipaldi.
"He has been reserve driver for Haas for five years now, so he has a lot of experience.
"So, I'm always trying to learn some new things with him and I'm always listening to what the big brother has to say."
So, while Verstappen thrives in Formula 1 now, the army of drivers in his wheel tracks are hungry, focused and getting ever-closer to achieving glory on the biggest stage in world motorsport.
Watch every Formula 2 Qualifying, Sprint Race and Feature Race live on Sky Sports F1 to watch as future champions battle it out.
The Formula 1 and Formula 2 season resumes with the Azerbaijan Grand Prix from April 28-30, with the first F1 Sprint weekend of 2023 shown in full live on Sky Sports F1. Watch Saturday's Sprint at 2:30pm and Sunday's race at 12pm. Get Sky Sports
