EEMNES (Sept. 11, 2024) – Rocco Coronel has become the youngest Dutchman to be included in the Red Bull Junior Team. During a three-day test at the Jerez circuit in Spain, the 13-year-old driver from Eemnes wowed the selection committee with his performance, including in a Formula 4 and a GP3 car. Various other aspects were also assessed. “It is a great honor for me to have been selected for the Red Bull Junior Team,” Coronel said. “Of course my dream is to reach Formula 1 and with this opportunity that dream becomes a little more realistic. I have always followed the Red Bull drivers and seen how they have developed in the sport. Now I will become one of them.”
“I was already in a kart when I was not even four years old.”
Rocco Coronel – Formula 4 talent at Red Bull Junior Team
As a descendant of the famous motor racing family Coronel could hardly be otherwise that Rocco would also find his way to motorized sports. “I was already in a kart when I was not even four years old,” he says. Both mother Paulien and father Tom raced at a high international level, for example, they raced together in the European Touring Car Championship.
Under the guidance of father Tom, Rocco has been doing very well in various international karting competitions for several years. “In order to be able to supervise him optimally, I myself have put my motorsport activities on a somewhat lower level,” Tom Coronel explains. That he hasn’t forgotten about racing either, he showed again last weekend by finishing second with his teammates in the Michelin 992 Endurance Cup, a 12-lap race for Porsches on the Spa-Francorchamps circuit.
“I still really enjoy driving myself, but I also have incredible fun guiding and coaching Rocco,” Tom Coronel continued. “I myself am sometimes amazed at how fast his development is going. Of course he still makes mistakes, there is still plenty of room for improvement. What do you want, he’s only 13! Then you can do nice things, but there is still a lot to learn, and I would like to help him with that.”
Rocco appreciates that support: “If I make a mistake, we try to see why and what I can do differently the next race. Dad, mom, my sister Carmen and my coach Leon, who goes with me to the tracks, are very important to me!”
Following the karting achievements, the invitation to the Red Bull Junior Team selection came, in which eleven young drivers were allowed to participate. Rocco was one of the youngest, but came out well right away. He says: “Just accelerate, don’t think too much, show what you can do, with that attitude I went in and it went pretty well! I was fast, but other things were also looked at. We had to do interviews, data analysis, they kept a close eye on us, but that also makes sense, because of course at Red Bull they don’t just pick people at random.”
As a member of the Red Bull Junior Team, Rocco Coronel can now count on expert support and guidance in various areas, from personal advice on fitness and nutrition to simulator tests. The emphasis next year will still be on karting, plus an additional program. Formula 4 won’t be possible until 2026 due to his age, but even before then Rocco Coronel will certainly make himself heard!
