A year ago, Alexander Albon seemed to be the solution to the driver’s issue at Red Bull Racing. Pierre Gasly had just been crushed next to Max Verstappen and his replacement seemed to provide new impetus. Admittedly: Albon still had quite a few problems on Saturday, but with decisive overtaking races and a ride on his way to the podium in Brazil – until Lewis Hamilton decided otherwise – he showed his potential.
The continuation of this upward trend has not been achieved in 2020. Partly because the RB16 has turned out to be very fickle, partly because it is always a hell of a job next to Max Verstappen and partly because Albon has not developed itself in the desired way. Moreover, the problem was not straightforward. While it was lacking in qualifying pace on certain weekends, in other race weekends the racecraft fell short. A jigsaw puzzle that turned out to be too complicated, although Albon did not always seem to see the seriousness of the matter himself. A complicating factor.
2020 has also proved difficult for Albon mentally. Christian Horner and Helmut Marko, for example, thought that the problem was mainly between the ears and that Albon would get the hang of it after a first boost. That boost also came in the form of his first F1 podium at Mugello, but the desired effect was not forthcoming. For example, Albon managed to score only one point in the four subsequent races. This had already made it clear that it would not be possible for Albon next to Verstappen, at least not at this stage in his career. Or as Marko rightly described it: if things are going well with Red Bull, Albon will join in, but if things get a bit more complicated, the difference with Verstappen will increase noticeably.
Marko has given Albon an excessive amount of time, certainly in comparison with other Red Bull protégés, possibly related to his nationality and therefore to business interests. But due to the lack of progress, the verdict is inevitable: Albon has to leave the field. The latter applies not only to Red Bull Racing, but in 2021 even to the entire Formula 1. That is a shame when you see how Gasly has flourished again in the shelter of AlphaTauri. A similar scenario could not even be ruled out for Albon, were it not that for another political reason (Honda and the Japanese Yuki Tsunoda) he cannot go to the formation of Franz Tost. As a result, we will not see Albon again next year. The conclusion must therefore be: weighed and found to be too light for the time being.
Figures from the editor:
| Erwin Jaeggi | 4,0 |
| Ronald Vording | 5,0 |
| Filip Cleeren | 6,0 |
| Mike Mulder | 5,0 |
| Bjorn Smit | 5,5 |
