Albon trades places with Gasly in Red Bull Racing line-up
Alexander Albon seems to be the luckiest man in Formula 1. The star rookie has gone from finishing 3rd, in F2 in 2018, to driving a race-winning car in 2019.
Alexander had a crazy season so far. He was a last-minute signing to Toro Rosso, replacing Dan Ticktum as the British driver could not qualify for his F1 Superlicense.
The 23-year-old Thai got promoted to Red Bull Racing, from Torro Rosso, and will drive for the senior team in the Belgian Grand Prix. Albon will replace Pierre Gasly as Max Verstappen's wingman for the remainder of the season and looks set to keep his place for next year.
Red Bull Racing even issued a statement saying, “The Team will use the next nine races to evaluate Alex’s performance in order to make an informed decision as to who will drive alongside Max in 2020.”
Pierre Gasly is currently on 6th place in the Drivers Championship with 63 points (out of a team total of 239) but failed to secure any poles or podiums so far. He did finish 4th in Great Britain (ahead of his teammate) and 6th in Hungary and will continue to drive this season for Red bull Racing subsidiary, Torro Rosso.
The GP2 Series champion in 2016, Gasly was promoted to Scuderia Toro Rosso’s race line-up in the latter stages of the 2017 season, to replace Daniil Kvyat who had himself fallen out of favor with Red Bull Racing after a string of poor performances.
The move is seen as somewhat of a surprise considering that Albon is currently ranked 15th, with only 16 points. But we must take into consideration that the Thai did not have the car and team resources that Gasly had so far this season. Moreover, he has been a consistent qualifier and racer, performing well against his more experienced teammate Kvyat and finishing five times in a point-scoring spot.
The real motive behind the switch is already subject to much speculation and debate. Some say that Red Bull considers Albon a better partner for Max Verstappen, as well as a better team player. Others that Gasly was not good enough for Red Bull’s race-winning car.
But rumors will not help Albon at Spa Francorchamps. He will just have to take his incredible luck, consistency, and talent, and put on a great performance. This will surely be his golden opportunity.
In the end, as Albon’s new team puts it, “Red Bull are in the unique position of having four talented Formula One drivers under contract who can be rotated between Aston Martin Red Bull Racing and Toro Rosso”
Alexander had a crazy season so far. He was a last-minute signing to Toro Rosso, replacing Dan Ticktum as the British driver could not qualify for his F1 Superlicense.
The 23-year-old Thai got promoted to Red Bull Racing, from Torro Rosso, and will drive for the senior team in the Belgian Grand Prix. Albon will replace Pierre Gasly as Max Verstappen's wingman for the remainder of the season and looks set to keep his place for next year.
Red Bull Racing even issued a statement saying, “The Team will use the next nine races to evaluate Alex’s performance in order to make an informed decision as to who will drive alongside Max in 2020.”
Pierre Gasly is currently on 6th place in the Drivers Championship with 63 points (out of a team total of 239) but failed to secure any poles or podiums so far. He did finish 4th in Great Britain (ahead of his teammate) and 6th in Hungary and will continue to drive this season for Red bull Racing subsidiary, Torro Rosso.
The GP2 Series champion in 2016, Gasly was promoted to Scuderia Toro Rosso’s race line-up in the latter stages of the 2017 season, to replace Daniil Kvyat who had himself fallen out of favor with Red Bull Racing after a string of poor performances.
The move is seen as somewhat of a surprise considering that Albon is currently ranked 15th, with only 16 points. But we must take into consideration that the Thai did not have the car and team resources that Gasly had so far this season. Moreover, he has been a consistent qualifier and racer, performing well against his more experienced teammate Kvyat and finishing five times in a point-scoring spot.
The real motive behind the switch is already subject to much speculation and debate. Some say that Red Bull considers Albon a better partner for Max Verstappen, as well as a better team player. Others that Gasly was not good enough for Red Bull’s race-winning car.
But rumors will not help Albon at Spa Francorchamps. He will just have to take his incredible luck, consistency, and talent, and put on a great performance. This will surely be his golden opportunity.
In the end, as Albon’s new team puts it, “Red Bull are in the unique position of having four talented Formula One drivers under contract who can be rotated between Aston Martin Red Bull Racing and Toro Rosso”
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