Alex Albon: Red Bull boss Christian Horner has issued an ultimatum to the Thai-British driver, with Nico Hulkenberg waiting to take on the Red Bull wings.
Alex Albon has struggled for consistency this season, scoring just 64 points compared to teammate Max Verstappen’s 147 points. Albon has managed just one podium finish all season, increasing pressure on him to perform or face the sack.
@alex_albon has two races to show he deserves 2021 drive – Horner #ByebyeAlex pic.twitter.com/mrU4WbaUZ7
— L’Avvocato (@PedroDMtz) October 24, 2020
Red Bull boss Christian Horner reiterated the same, allowing Albon opportunities until Imola next week to prove his worth. He called it a priority to close the gap on Mercedes, and therefore need a strong partner to Max Verstappen. Horner admitted that Albon is a popular member of the team, but that counts for nothing if the performance does not back it up.
“We want Alex to claim that seat and basically justify that there is no need to look at any other alternative than Alex. He’s had a couple of difficult weekends. So he needs to bounce back here I think, and particularly Imola, with a strong, strong weekend from start to finish. As I say, he’s a popular member of the team. But we need two cars closer together in order to fight the Mercedes, and that’s what we’ve got to do. That’s our target.”
Who will replace Alex Albon if he is not retained for 2021?
Christian Horner was asked if the AlphaTauri drivers, especially Pierre Gasly, would be considered as a replacement to Albon. He flatly rejected the idea and confirmed they would not look for someone in the Red Bull pool of drivers. This increased the chance of super-sub Nico Hulkenberg replacing Albon next season, considering his experience and pedigree.
“No. I think AlphaTauri are pretty settled with their drivers. As I say, our preference is very much Alex.”
“But if we had to look at a different solution, we would have to look outside of the Red Bull pool of drivers. Simply because there’s not one available that we would look to look to put in.
