It’s the bomb of the summer: Red Bull made the shocking decision to drop Pierre Gasly and replace him with his Toro Rosso driver Alex Albon. What follows is a tough season for Gasly alongside Max Verstappen – and an outstanding one for rookie Albon with Daniil Kvyat. Gasly will return to Toro Rosso for the remainder of the year.
In his first Formula 1 season, after finishing second in the FIA Formula 2 Championship last year, Albon impressed everyone in the paddock with his speed and maturity. The British-born Thai driver has scored 16 points from his 12 Grands Prix to date, with a best result of six on the rainy German lap – his first ever wet F1 race.
READ MORE: Albon vs Gasly – The Road to Red Bull Driver Swap
Gasly, on the other hand, spent 2019 keeping up with Verstappen. After being promoted from Toro Rosso at the end of last season, he lives firmly in the Dutchman’s shadow and scored just 63 points over his teammate 181. The Frenchman is not yet on the podium in a car that Verstappen has taken to two race wins and three further top three placings and has been out-qualified by his team-mate in almost every race so far.
“Red Bull is in a unique position to have four talented Formula 1 drivers under contract who can switch between Aston Martin Red Bull Racing and Toro Rosso,” said a Red Bull statement. “The team will be the next Use nine races to evaluate Alex’s performance to make an informed decision about who will ride alongside Max in 2020.
READ MORE: ANALYSIS: Why Red Bull Made Its Latest Blockbuster Driver Swap
“Everyone at Aston Martin Red Bull Racing looks forward to welcoming Alex to the team and supporting him in the next phase of his F1 career.”
Red Bull is of course no stranger to the mid-season driver swap. Verstappen came to the team five races in the 2016 season via Toro Rosso and, as is well known, won their debut at the Spanish Grand Prix.
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