Red Bull F1 drivers announced

The inaugural Red Bull F1 Driver Search culminated with the final selection of four young American racers to represent Red Bull - and the USA - in European racing ladder series next year, the first step on a journey that hopefully will take them to Formula 1

Following nearly a week of assessment at Circuit Paul Ricard High Tech Test Track in southern France. Paul Edwards, Grant Maiman, Joel Nelson and Scott Speed were chosen by Red Bull's select panel after being judged the most likely among the 13 contenders to quickly advance to the world's top racing category.

"We had 13 tremendously talented American racers here," said judge and programme manager Danny Sullivan. "All the boys were so good that it made our decision very, very difficult. Besides being among the fastest during the lapping sessions, we had to consider not only each driver's individual experience, but also the variety of the cars they've driven and the variety of the cars we utilized here. To do this right, to find the drivers most likely to succeed in the extremely competitive European racing universe, the judges had to factor all of it in."

Within the next 10 days, Sullivan and his team will decide which European series and teams each of the four drivers will be competing in.

In addition to Sullivan, the judging panel was comprised of Skip Barber, Alan Docking, Dr. Helmut Marko, and Bertram Schafer. They represent a combined 200-plus years in racing experience, and are considered among the world's top driving talent-spotters.