The sight of the iconic Red Bull colours battling it out with the historic Papaya of McLaren has been a familiar sight to motorsport fans around the world over the last couple of years, with Max Verstappen fighting for Formula 1 World Championship supremacy with Ginetta alumni Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri.
For 2026, that duel will be coming to the Ginetta Junior Championship powered by Sunoco Race Fuels grid for the first time, as the next generation of talents carry those famous liveries into battle in the UK’s longest running and most prestigious junior series.
The Red Bull Junior Team was represented on the grid for the first time last year to resounding success. Rocco Coronel won 11 races on his way to an historic title victory, whilst team-mate Scott Kin Lindblom was also a regular visitor to the overall podium.
The collaboration between Red Bull and R Racing continues this season, with young talent Melvin Kalousdian following in their footsteps. The Swedish racer makes his Ginetta debut with a strong pedigree, having already won a single-seater championship with a dominant Formula Nordic success.
“I’m looking forward to racing in the Ginetta Junior Championship. I’m really excited and I’m looking forward to a good season,” said Kalousdian. “It’s quite an honour to be part of the Red Bull Junior Team. It’s a prestigious programme and it’s an honour to be driving in Red Bull colours.”
McLaren’s traditional colour of Papaya orange will feature on the Ginetta Junior grid for the first time this year meanwhile. It comes as part of Elite Motorsport’s new talent pathway with the British manufacturer, which aims to unearth young talents for their GT racing programme.
Jacob Ashcroft is the driver who has the honour of running a Papaya-coloured Ginetta G40 Junior Evo. The 14-year-old steps up to car-racing with a formidable karting CV, including becoming the first Rotax racer ever to hold all six UK and World titles at the same time.
“I’m looking forward to being on the Ginetta Junior grid for 2026,” commented Ashcroft. “Being part of the Elite McLaren Talent Pathway is a very good opportunity for anyone. To represent a brand as big as McLaren, it’s what my dreams represent, so I’m really happy to be part of it.
“It’s an honour to be the first driver to carry the papaya of McLaren on the Ginetta Junior grid. It’s very important for me and I don’t know if there will be more in the future, but to be the first one is pretty special.”
For both drivers, the ambition is for Ginetta Juniors to serve as the first step of an ultimately long and successful motorsport career. Therefore, it’s no surprise that battling it out at the front of the grid this year is the primary target for both.
Kalousdian added: “Winning the title is the target. I think I can do it, I believe in my abilities. R Racing are a really professional team and it’s been great working with them. I’ve been learning a lot ready for round one.”
“I want to try and win the championship, as does every other driver on the grid,” Ashcroft concluded. “My focus is getting a good start to the season, score some good points and build from there. Try to get some wins and hopefully that’ll put us in the mix for the championship, which would be ideal.”
The opening three races of the season at Donington Park this weekend (11/12 April) will be streamed live via GT World on YouTube. You can also follow @Ginetta_Motorsport on Instagram for all the latest updates.
