Formula E star says Red Bull took away F1 contract at the ‘last moment’ in 2014

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Red Bull is known for its ruthless driving programme run by Helmut Marko and it has seen its fair share of drivers rejected down the line.

While the team is quick to point out what one of their rookies is underperforming, their investments have yielded some success stories including Max Verstappen and Sebastian Vettel.

During the 2013 season, they faced a dilemma in their driver academy with Russian driver Daniil Kvyat and Antonio Felix Da Costa.

Kvyat had just won the GP3 series (now F3) convincingly while Da Costa had finished in the top three places in the Formula Renault championship.

Red Bull had initially indicated that it wanted to promote Da Costa as he was further up the junior single-seater ladder, but a last-minute decision was made according to the Portuguese driver when speaking to Soy Motor.

Antonio Felix Da Costa reveals ‘issue’ that caused Red Bull to take away F1 contract

In the 2014 season, F1 visited Russia for the first time at the Sochi Autodrome. It was the first of eight races that would be held at the circuit before it was taken off the calendar following the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Da Costa recalls the moment he was told that he would not give his drive after all in 2014, after Red Bull instead elected to go with Kvyat.

“I signed my contract, we signed everything and at the last moment, they went another way with Kvyat. I think it was a somewhat political decision at that time, because of the issue that there was going to be a race for the first time in Russia and nothing… that’s life,” said Da Costa.

“Of course I was very sad, but Red Bull at the same time gave me the opportunity to stay as a professional, they gave me the platform to race in the best Championships before Formula 1.”

Da Costa eventually went on to race in Formula E and won the title with DS Techeetah in the 2019/2020 season.

Franco Colapinto told about ‘sensible choice’ as Red Bull move ‘could destroy’ career

Red Bull appears to have their eye on Franco Colapinto, who has impressed in a few outings with Williams this season after replacing Logan Sargeant.

Colapinto has scored twice so far and held off Sergio Perez for a few laps during the Singapore GP, with Christian Horner confirming that the team is exploring options for the Argentine.

READ MORE: Everything to know about Williams driver Franco Colapinto with praise to stats

He would be a superb addition to Red Bull given his performances at Williams and commercially he brings in a lot of sponsorship money.

But Karun Chandhok has warned that a move to Red Bull ‘could destroy’ Colpainto if he joins Max Verstappen at Red Bull now.