Horner rules out Red Bull recall for Gasly

Jamie Woodhouse
Pierre Gasly leads Alexander Albon

Pierre Gasly leads Alexander Albon

Red Bull principal Christian Horner is impressed with Pierre Gasly, but isn’t lining him up to replace Alex Albon.

The Frenchman made the step up from Toro Rosso to Red Bull ahead of the 2019 season, but after a series of poor performances he was demoted back to the junior team over the summer break.

His place at Red Bull was taken by Alex Albon who had been in Formula 1 for only half a season with Toro Rosso.

Albon though has been the subject of some criticism this year, in particular surrounding his qualifying performances compared to Max Verstappen.

But Red Bull have publicly defended him, praising his race craft, whilst Gasly has also been attracting praise for his strong performances in 2020 at AlphaTauri where is comfortably getting the better of team-mate Daniil Kvyat.

So, Red Bull are happy with both drivers, and Horner made it clear that the Red Bull and AlphaTauri line-ups would not be changed.

Asked about Gasly, Horner, as quoted by Autosport, said: “I think he’s performing well in the environment that AlphaTauri give him.

“I think the car is a good car this year, and I think it’s an easier car perhaps to drive than our car has been at times.

“But I think Alex, his performances on Sundays have been very strong. He drove another good race [in Belgium]. His defending, his overtaking, and his attacking is always strong, and I think we’re going in the right direction.

“So I think it’s good to see Pierre getting back up to speed, which is why he’s still on the programme. But we’re happy with the way things are.”

Get your hands on the official Red Bull 2020 collection via the Formula 1 store

Albon improved to P4 in the Drivers’ Championship with his P6 finish in Belgium, and Horner believes the Thai driver is now getting a better understanding of the unpredictable RB16.

“I think Alex has had a very solid weekend [in Belgium], so he’s now up to fourth in the Driver’s Championship,” said Horner.

“It’s obviously just frustrating when it’s the same two cars that you’re competing with, and it’s the same one winning every weekend. But we are working hard to try and change that at some point.”

Verstappen is currently P2 in the Drivers’ Championship, 62 points ahead of team-mate Albon after seven rounds of the 2020 season.

Follow us on Twitter @Planet_F1 and like our Facebook page.

Alex Albon Pierre Gasly Red Bull

Related Articles