Red Bull: Alexander Albon to replace Pierre Gasly

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Alexander Albon (left) and Pierre Gasly
Albon (left) has impressed in his debut season this year while Gasly has struggled

Red Bull will replace French driver Pierre Gasly with Alexander Albon for the rest of the season.

Thai Albon, 23, has been promoted from the team's sister outfit Toro Rosso, with Gasly going the other way.

Gasly, 23, is sixth in the championship with 63 points. Team-mate Max Verstappen is third with 181.

Red Bull say they will "use the next nine races to evaluate Alex's performance" and make a "decision as to who will drive alongside Max in 2020".

In Gasly's last outing in Hungary - the final race before a mid-season break - he finished sixth and was lapped by Verstappen, who finished second behind championship leader Lewis Hamilton.

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner said after the race: "Pierre really needs to take some time out during the break, reflect, and take the lessons into the second part of the year.

"We desperately need him realising more of the potential of the car."

The next race takes place at Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium on 1 September.

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467 comments

  • Comment posted by Bobby Conkers, at 12:25 12 Aug 2019

    People who know what they're talking about are sick of repeating it ad nauseum to those who don't, but here it is again.

    The best drivers end up in the best cars because they are the best drivers. The people who own the best cars are probably slightly better at choosing who those drivers are than Dave down at Wetherspoons (other awful pubs are available).

    You're welcome.

  • Comment posted by beegeeuk, at 12:21 12 Aug 2019

    Chelsea @17 - What are you smoking? Stroll better than LH? You've got to be kidding! Better you stick to football as your name implies although they got a pasting from Man U yesterday! You couldn't win a one-man race!

  • Comment posted by My two pennies worth, at 12:03 12 Aug 2019

    Good luck to him, but it feels way too early in Albon's career

  • Comment posted by George_1985, at 12:21 12 Aug 2019

    Brutal. But even Gasly himself must have known that he was targeted to be replaced.

    Really curious how Albon will perform...
    ...it will tell a lot about Gasly and/or Verstappen.

  • Comment posted by I know it is only my opinion but, at 13:15 12 Aug 2019

    I can only assume that those who make such negative comments re LH on an article where he isn't even mentioned are so envious of him that they act like a spurned lover.

  • Comment posted by Paradox, at 12:49 12 Aug 2019

    To all the clueless ones saying its too early for Albon may I remind you that Lewis Hamilton was thrown into a top car as a rookie against the best driver in F1 at the time who was the reigning double world champion and Lewis beat him and went on to become the best ever which he remains to this day.

    If you're good enough, you're old enough.

    Feel sad for Gasly who is a good guy.

  • Comment posted by The Knowledge, at 15:31 12 Aug 2019

    154. Posted by Dub no bass on my head man on

    "the sooner MB ditches Hamilton, and puts Ocon into that seat the better"

    Of all the absurd comments that one finds, across all sorts of HYS threads, this has to be the most foolish I've read. so much so that it made me laugh.

    Stop being bitter. Try and improve your life. Xx

  • Comment posted by jmatthewb, at 12:59 12 Aug 2019

    Promotion to Red Bull came too early for Gasly, so let's replace him with a rookie with only 12 GP starts.......

  • Comment posted by Artemis, at 12:08 12 Aug 2019

    This is a fantastic opportunity for AA I think he will flourish as he has only to perform better than Pierre which TBH I think he will easily.... good luck Alex, hope it works out for Pierre too

  • Comment posted by agemo, at 12:15 12 Aug 2019

    @12, if that was only the case, then we wouldn't be discussing Gasley getting lapped and thoroughly beaten while MV is winning races in the same car. It's motorsport; it's both those things. To just attribute all success to one element or the other is meaningless, it's both and always will be.

  • Comment posted by The Knowledge, at 15:37 12 Aug 2019

    Quick message to the Hamilton haters: I guess the driver plays a role after all!

  • Comment posted by Exelsizor, at 12:12 12 Aug 2019

    Feel sorry for Gasly but you can't keep getting lapped by your team mate on his way to victory. He is lucky Red Bull have a "B team" to which he can be dropped.

  • Comment posted by hermitage, at 12:59 12 Aug 2019

    17. @Chelsea

    Lewis replaced by The Canadian "Spoilt Boy!??!"
    You should be doing stand-up in Edinburgh with lines like that.
    You are only posting here because of School holidays, N'est pas?

  • Comment posted by CreuseCanary, at 12:18 12 Aug 2019

    I suspect Gasly is breathing a sigh of relief to be honest.

  • Comment posted by Blackbird60, at 12:06 12 Aug 2019

    @1 It appears that RB don't coddle, they throw them in at the deep-end. I think you may be right but now he has a fantastic chance to shine.

  • Comment posted by Bezoblika, at 12:59 12 Aug 2019

    @41 FLOPPYFOSTER

    "Yeh I know that but Albon as just been awarded another 72 points"

    No he hasn't. Albon and Gasly will not swap their points. A driver's points stay with them, not the car / team. Albon hasn't gained any points with the switch, nor has Gasly lost any.

  • Comment posted by vikkifoxx, at 12:48 12 Aug 2019

    This is a bit of a mistake, it's too early in his career to be put in a top team against a driver like Max Verstappen.
    Kvyat should have been promoted back up. The only reason he wasn't is due to Helmut Marko's childish inability to admit he was wrong.
    Having said all this I hope Albon does well, I just feel he probably won't do much better than Gasly.

  • Comment posted by alex, at 12:13 12 Aug 2019

    Excited for Albon, but can't help feel this is far too early for him. He hadn't even tested an F1 car until February, and now he's in a car that's winning races and getting pole? That's a hell of a promotion, just hope he's up to it.

  • Comment posted by Bezoblika, at 13:12 12 Aug 2019

    66. Posted by Motormouth on
    " Ham scored 280/300 possible win points or 83%
    Bot scored 188/216 possible 2nd place points or 87%.

    Statistically, for what the team expects from them, Bot is a more successful drover than Ham."

    After 12 races the maximum points available is 312 (12 x 25 + 12 for FL).
    Ham has 250 / 312 = 80.1%
    Bot has 188 / 312 = 60.2%

    Both have the team and the same car.

  • Comment posted by daveH, at 12:07 12 Aug 2019

    So much for Marco saying no change during the season. Gasly must be very down.

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