Red Bull star handed 2026 promotion as second driver confirmed

A young Red Bull driver has had his motosport future confirmed, signing a new contract for a seat in 2026.

With much ado surrounding the team's F1 driver lineup, it's easy to forget the amount of talent Red Bull have waiting in the wings lower down the pecking order.

While Yuki Tsunoda, Liam Lawson and Isack Hadjar fight over the seats at Red Bull and Racing Bulls, a number of Red Bull's junior driver programme members have been excelling in 2025.

Arvid Lindblad, Pepe Marti and Oliver Goethe have all been competing in F2 this year, with Lindblad and Marti picking up multiple race victories in the series.

Now, a 16-year-old Mexican star has been handed a promotion. Ernesto Rivera has been racing for Campos Racing in Eurocup-3 in 2025, where he has claimed three wins and sits third in the championship.

Campos Racing have now confirmed that the teenager will race full-time with them in F3 in 2026, in a promotion up the chain of the F1 feeder series for Rivera. The team had already confirmed that Theophile Nael will be racing with them in 2026 in F3, meaning two of the team's three drivers have now been selected.

Adrian Campos, team principal of Campos Racing, said of the move: "We are delighted to continue working with a driver of Ernesto’s talent. From our very first season together, he showed a remarkable ability to learn and improve, something that has already been evident at European level in 2025.

"Ernesto is still very young, yet he stands out for his maturity, consistency, and race management. FIA Formula 3 is a highly competitive championship, but with the joint effort of everyone involved, I am convinced that his rookie season will be at least as successful as the ones before it."

Rivera 'excited' for F3 promotion

Rivera himself said: "I’m really excited to continue my journey with Campos Racing and the Red Bull Junior Team for the 2026 FIA Formula 3 Championship season. This is a huge step forward in my career and I’m very grateful for the trust and support from both Campos Racing and Red Bull.

"We’ve built a really strong foundation together this season, and I can’t wait to keep learning, growing, and fighting for big results next year. I’ll give everything, both on and off the track, to make the most of this opportunity."

The news comes two weeks after Campos Racing announced that another Red Bull junior, Nikola Tsolov, had been handed the opportunity to step up to F2 with the team next season.

Tsolov raced with the squad in F3 this year, finishing second in the drivers' standings, with his F2 team-mate yet to be announced.

It is likely to be a fellow member of the Red Bull driver development programme who is at his side next year thanks to Campos Racing's alliance with Red Bull to assist with development of their junior drivers on the path to F1.

With just two rounds left in the current F2 campaign, junior star Lindblad will be looking to prove that he deserves the promotion up to the pinnacle of motorsport, with a decision on his future pending.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Campos Racing (@camposracing)

F1 HEADLINES: Max Verstappen absences confirmed as Red Bull bosses hold crisis meeting

READ MORE: Zak Brown announces $4.1billion McLaren sale

READ MORE: Lewis Hamilton absence confirmed at Singapore GP as Ferrari team-mate steps up

READ MORE: F1 drivers age: How old are Lewis Hamilton, Verstappen, Norris and co?

Related