'Keep trying, grow your network and gain experience': How aspiring professionals can break into Formula 1.

The Red Bull Racing RB8 is being prepared for the Heineken World Tour in Cape Town
PHOTO CREDIT: Slipstream SA/Junaid Samodien

Formula One is often described as the pinnacle of motorsport, where the difference between victory and defeat is often measured in thousandths of a second. Yet achieving those fine margins requires far more than the efforts of the 22 drivers on the grid.

Behind every lap lies the work of thousands, from engineers, strategists, and mechanics to marketing teams, event managers, and support staff, all working towards a single objective: winning.

Unlike many mainstream sports, success in Formula One cannot be attributed solely to superstar talent or the biggest budget. While exceptional drivers remain a critical ingredient, performance is shaped by a complex blend of engineering excellence, technological innovation, operational precision, and strategic execution.

Since its inception in 1950, the Formula 1 World Championship has evolved into a global technological battleground. Manufacturers such as Ferrari, Mercedes, McLaren, (Red Bull) Ford, (Aston Martin) Honda, and Cadillac have all invested heavily in the championship, applying expertise across everything from power unit development to chassis design in pursuit of a competitive edge.

If you thought Formula One was a small-scale operation, you would be widely off the mark. Like any motorsport discipline, a race car must be conceptualized, designed, manufactured, assembled, developed, and operated. That alone cannot be achieved by a handful of people - it requires hundreds, if not thousands.

The Red Bull Racing team united to celebrate their successes.
PHOTO CREDIT: Red Bull Content Pool

For some, Formula 1 may have a reputation as an exclusive sport reserved for elite drivers and engineers, however, many hopeful’s, truly don’t understand just how vast the Formula One ecosystem is, we spoke to Oscar Cooper, Event Manager for the Heritage Team at Red Bull Racing, who has shed some light on working within the industry, as well as offering some advice for aspiring team members.

“The ecosystem of Formula 1 is massive, right, there's so many different things, and I think the first thing also to say is of course, most people when they think of F1, they think of people working on the car – but there's so much more, you know, every single F1 team runs like a business anyway, right, so you still need IT technicians, you need people who work in finance, but of course people think of, you know, how do I get to the track? But, I think, often the roots into the sport are from the junior formulas or, you know, people who want to be mechanics and engineers. Certainly, mechanics will be going through the motions of, you know, maybe starting in lower-tier formulas, learning different racing series themselves as well, and then finding a way to join F1,” Cooper said.

Cooper is proof that you do not need to be holding a spanner in the garage to play a critical role. As Event Manager for the Heritage Team, he travels the world helping to plan and execute events that showcase the team's historic cars and legacy.

At Red Bull Racing, there is also a unique pathway through the Heritage Team itself, as he explains: “Specifically for Red Bull Racing, the heritage team we have offers a pathway. So, we use the heritage team as a learning platform – we have young mechanics coming in. The heritage team itself is made up of lots of mechanics who have loads of experience from being on the racing team, and they sort of come from that to go back to the heritage team to maybe learn different skills, upskill, and then go back to the race team. So, what we can do is, we can also then have new young mechanics join the team and learn in this heritage team environment, so learn with, you know, it's not the current car, but they're learning the skills on still a modern F1 car and then also understanding how the team operates, so that's quite special for us as well, is that we can use the heritage team to grow talent.”

Having experience is, in many ways, a form of currency within the motorsport industry. The combination of technical ability and cultural understanding can make all the difference when opportunities do arise.

Yet beyond qualifications and hands-on experience, Cooper highlights one quality above all else: ‘passion’.

“For what this sport is and for what it represents to so many people, having the passion really does count. I think you can do lots of jobs where you sort of feel, okay, yeah, it's just a day job, and that's not kind of, it might not be what I really want to do. I think people who really love being in the sport and stay in the sport are the ones that just have the passion, you know, it's an amazing industry to be a part of, but also it can be quite hard work, you are traveling a lot, you're doing 24 races, you're doing long weekends,” he said. “So, you know, you want to make sure also that you really want to be there and that you're really passionate about it, because then you're getting rewarded and you're working really hard to enjoy where you are. So yeah, I think that's probably something I would say, you speak to most people in F1, and they are, they're really passionate about where they are.”

Passion has long been a driving force behind success in Formula One. As Michael Schumacher famously said: “Once something is a passion, the motivation is there.”

Oscar Cooper, Event Manager for the Heritage Team at Red Bull Racing, explains how a Formula 1 car works. 
PHOTO CREDIT: Slipstream SA/Junaid Samodien

For aspiring team members – particularly young South Africans watching from thousands of miles away – Cooper's message carries significant weight. The sport may not currently race in South Africa, or on the African continent for that matter, but South Africans are very much part of the grid.

One such example is Poelane Khutsoane, who works with Red Bull Racing as Country Marketing Lead – a powerful reminder that geography is not a barrier when ambition meets persistence.

The practical advice Cooper offers aspiring team members is simple yet powerful. “The first thing that I would say is just to keep trying. Keep knocking on doors. Look at the different pathways. Volunteer more. Gain experience. Work in different race series if you can,” he said.

Too often, he says, people focus only on Formula One and overlook the broader motorsport landscape.

“I think it's always the case, people see F1, and then they forget that there's so much other racing too, and there's lots of other ways you can continue to gain experience. Of course, F1 is the pinnacle, and it's the top end, and that's something that everybody can strive for. So yeah, continue to gain experience and grow your network and then keep working on it, keep trying,” he added.

What becomes obvious is that there are multiple pathways into Formula 1 – and every skill has value. Whether you're studying engineering, finance, media, hospitality, logistics, or IT, Formula One requires specialists in all of them.

Perhaps the most powerful takeaway from Oscar Cooper's words is that Formula 1 is not a closed shop reserved for a chosen few. It is a vast, complex, and global industry powered by people who refused to give up. So, if Formula One is your ultimate goal, remember the advice offered by those already working within the sport: keep trying, gain experience, and never stop learning.

As Walt Disney said, “All our dreams can come true if we have the courage to pursue them.”

So, our question to you is not whether you can reach Formula One – it’s how determined you are to achieve your dream? 

Are you interested in a career at Oracle Red Bull Racing? If so, click this link.

Guess who’s back? Bakkerud is back on top with first victory in four years after Hungarian masterclass.

Podium celebrations in Hungary.
PHOTO CREDIT: FIA Rallycross Championship

“Guess who’s back, Bakker again…” Under the searing heat of Hungary’s legendary ‘Red Cauldron’, through wheel-banging battles, strategic chaos, and sudden rain showers, Andreas Bakkerud delivered a dominant performance at the Kárai Trans Euro RX of Hungary. 

Arriving at the second round of the FIA European Rallycross Championship, determined to rebound from a frustrating season-opener in Latvia, where a podium challenge slipped away, the Norwegian fought off Johan Kristoffersson and a stacked Euro RX1 field to claim his first victory since Hell in 2022. 

From the moment practice began on Saturday morning, the stage was set for another chapter in rallycross’ modern great rivalry. Bakkerud topped FP1, Kristoffersson responded in FP2, and the pair traded fastest times by milliseconds around one of the championship’s most punishing circuits, Nyirád.

The Norwegian struck first, dominating, whilst his rival, Kristoffersson, who was already battling sluggish starts in Latvia, continued to haunt him throughout the weekend.

But despite the nightmare start, the eight-time World Rallycross champion hit back in Q2. Their first direct duel of the weekend quickly escalated into one of the standout races of the season so far, Kristoffersson edging Bakkerud by just 0.334s in a fierce battle that neither driver was willing to yield.

As rain rolled over Nyirád ahead of Q3, the circuit transformed from hot and dusty into a greasy survival test. Kristoffersson again bogged down at the start, leaving Bakkerud to aggressively defend into Turn One. At the same time, KMS opted to roll the dice early with joker laps for both Ole Christian Veiby and Kristoffersson.

Bakkerud and his SET Promotion supported stablemates, Joni Turpeinen and Juha Rytkönen, who had perfect launches. Turpeinen jokered first from the lead, Rytkönen followed shortly afterwards, whilst Bakkerud delayed his joker until the final lap. The strategy paid off perfectly, allowing the Norwegian to emerge crucially ahead of Kristoffersson and secure the overnight top qualifier spot.

“It feels good. It’s always brilliant to race against Johan. He’s such a strong driver and hardly ever puts a foot wrong, so you can never hold anything back against him,” Bakkerud said. 

By Sunday morning, teams had a better understanding of how to extract more performance; however, Bakkerud’s momentum only intensified.

He narrowly beat Kristoffersson to the Top Qualifier spot in Q4 before controlling both his Quarter-Final and Semi-Final from lights-to-flag, earning pole position for the all-important Final.

The EuroRX of Hungary final.

Source: TheRedsRX

And inevitably, alongside him on the front row was Kristoffersson. When the lights went out, the pair launched evenly, but Bakkerud held the inside line into Turn One and refused to surrender it. As he edged Kristoffersson wide, the closely following SET Promotion pair of Turpeinen and Rytkönen sensed opportunity. What followed was the defining moment of the weekend.

As the field compressed into the tight left-hander, slight contact pitched Kristoffersson into the outside tyre wall, dropping the reigning world champion to the back of the field and effectively ending his challenge for a podium spot.

Up front, the Bergen Motorsport Evolution by SET Promotion driver escaped the chaos unscathed. Rytkönen applied pressure throughout the race, but the outcome rarely looked in doubt. Bakkerud controlled the pace, set the fastest lap, and crossed the finish line just over one-and-a-half seconds clear.

After climbing from his ex-Ken Block Ford Fiesta, Bakkerud fought back tears as he reflected on his return to the top step of the podium.

“This means the world,” he said. “We fight hard, and I'm not meaning to stand here crying, but it means a lot. It was good. It's not often you get the chance to go door-to-door next to an eight-time world champion, and Johan is such a beast. He's such a character, such a driver. So, I mean, we come here with a car painter, a ventilation guy, a sticker guy. We do a good job.”

“We were the top qualifier as well. First, the semi-finals, pole in the final. The last time I was pole, was Barcelona 2021 with GCK. So, it's been forever. It's been many years. Tough time in America, coming back here, racing, starting a new chapter, and all the field of sport is back supporting us,” an emotional Bakkerud said. 

Side-by-side heading into turn one. 
PHOTO CREDIT: FIA Rallycross Championship

Behind him, Rytkönen completed a memorable one-two for the SET Promotion-supported Fiesta package, while 17-year-old Turpeinen continued his remarkable start to the season with a second consecutive podium finish.

The Finnish teenager had been one of the revelations of Saturday, overcoming gearbox issues in Q1 before consistently challenging the established stars throughout qualifying. His third-place finish leaves him firmly in the championship conversation after two rounds.

“Three SET Promotion drivers on the podium – it’s crazy! I absolutely didn’t expect to have such a successful start to the season,” Turpeinen said. “It was quite chaotic in Turn One in the Final – everyone was flying everywhere like rockets, but I was able to stay clean on the inside line, and it was good to finish third again. My tyres were completely gone by the end of the weekend, but we’ll have good ones for Höljes!”

Ole Christian Veiby climbed to fourth despite spending much of the weekend recovering from a broken gear lever that cost him valuable time in Q1, with team-mate Kristoffersson recovered to fifth after his opening-corner drama.

“We're done here in Hungary. Started off with qualifying four, which put us second overall, and managed to win our quarter-final and semi-final. Started from the outside of the final. I had a good start, which was really promising, but then I was just too wide and going into turn one. And yeah, with all the loose gravel on the outside there, I lost it going into the wall and had a spin. So, lost a lot of time there, but managed to get one position back and ended up P4 overall. So, we scored enough points for second overall in the championship, one point behind Bakkerud. It was a fun weekend in Hungary. It's a proper rallycross track, so I really enjoyed the fight,” the eight-time champion said. 

A sixth-place finish may not seem impressive to some, but Casper Jansson truly demonstrated a very mature and strong performance throughout the weekend. The young Swede is a definite driver to watch in the coming events, having unlocked more pace from his Peugeot 208 with assistance from 14-time European Rallycross ace Kenneth Hansen. 

Elsewhere, Patrick O'Donovan demonstrated both his speed and aggression despite suffering accidents on consecutive days, Fabien Pailler rebounded strongly from a nightmare season-opener in Latvia, where he was plagued by engine issues, whilst home hero Andor Trepák showed flashes of genuine front-running pace before narrowly missing out on a place in the final.

O’Donovan, a former EuroRX Champion, did not mince his words when reflecting on the weekend and an incident with Ole Christian Veiby in the semi-finals, as he explains: “heartbreak for myself. I did the hard work. And I mean, we beat OC in the quarterfinal. And then into the semi, I beat him out of the joker. I couldn't have gone any wider because I was on the absolute limit of where the grip is before you hit the marbles. And, I mean, he was completely off his line. If you go back to any other lap, he just drove out there with the intent to hit me. And you can see his car go sideways. You're telling me the best car in rallycross, if he doesn't want it to, isn't going to be going forward at that point. He's driven there to take me out. And I mean, yeah, it's a really bitter pill to swallow. And, I just hope we can get out for Holjes at this point, because at the moment, looking at the car in there, it's really unlikely.” 

It’s unfortunate for Team RX Racing and O’Donovan, with the clock well and truly ticking to repair his Peugeot 208. However, ultimately, Nyirád belonged to one man, Andreas Bakkerud, who reminded everyone that he still knows exactly how to beat the best in the business.

Whilst victory catapulted Bakkerud into the championship lead by a single point over Kristoffersson heading into the iconic Höljes ‘Magic Weekend’ in July, it’s evident that both teams and drivers will take a deep dive into their data in an attempt to unlock more pace, which truly sets the stage for an epic battle in the Värmland forest!