F1 News
Horner: 'That is our strong preference'
- GPblog.com
Alexander Albon has been under pressure for some time now. He doesn't know how to narrow the gap with Max Verstappen and he doesn't fight in the races. Although Verstappen is expected to be faster, Albon is expected to do more than he shows. As a result, his seat is under pressure, but Christian Horner is still hoping for the driver to recover.
Choice for 2021
The end of the 2020 season is in sight and therefore it is up to Alexander Albon to hurry and claim the seat. From the leadership of Red Bull Racing he has a clear goal and that is that they want to fight Mercedes with two cars. This is what Christian Horner says in the F1 Nation podcast published today.
"We want Alex to claim that seat and basically justify that there is no need to look other any other alternative than Alex. Everybody in the team wants to see him do that. And it felt like in Mugello, we started to turn a corner. He’s had a couple of difficult weekends so he needs to bounce back."
"So that’s our focus, our objective. As I say, he’s a popular member of the team. But we need two cars closer together in order to fight Mercedes. That’s what we've got to do. That’s our target."
Door closed for Gasly
"I think AlphaTauri is pretty settled with their drivers. So as I say, our preference is very much Alex, but if we have to look at a different solution, obviously we would have to look outside of the Red Bull pool of drivers. Simply because there’s not one available to put in. There are some quality drivers on the market that could be unemployed next year."
And with that, Horner also closes the door for Pierre Gasly, who has suggested several times that he has earned a reward for his strong performances in the season so far. However, a return to Red Bull Racing does not seem to be an option for him.