Red Bull Racing team principal Christian Horner praised Alexander Albon’s “grown-up” performance on Sunday, who rode to third place in Bahrain. The team is nevertheless in no hurry to announce who will be Max Verstappen’s teammate next year.
If Red Bull decides not to continue with Albon, the more experienced Sergio Pérez and Nico Hülkenberg are the biggest contenders for the seat. “But I’ve always said our first priority is to give Alex a real chance,” Horner told Bahrain. Sky Sports.
“He is still making progress, in this race he drove very mature. We are therefore in no rush to make a choice.”
On Friday, Albon crashed during a training session, but the Thai had no problems with that on Sunday. He rode to the second podium in his career. Verstappen finished second behind winner Lewis Hamilton, taking Red Bull to its first double podium since 2017.
“Especially after Friday’s crash, Albon did very well,” said Horner. “He drove a strong race and did a good job for the team.”
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Red Bull team principal Christian Horner. (Photo: Pro Shots)
Albon realizes that he was lucky with Pérez’s retirement
Albon mainly owed his podium place to the late withdrawal of Pérez, his main rival for the seat next to Verstappen. With three laps to go, the Racing Point driver’s engine exploded.
“Of course I was lucky”, Albon reflected on the website of his team. “Sergio had a good race, but I was in the right place when things went wrong for him.”
The 24-year-old driver is already looking forward to next weekend, when racing on a different layout of the same circuit. “The track is mostly the same, so hopefully the result will be comparable.”
Pérez has no other options
Horner emphasized that Albon will have to continue to perform well to claim his place. “Sergio Pérez has no other options, so we can wait for the last races,” said the team principal.
“Don’t forget that Pérez has already driven in my team in Formula 2,” Horner referred to the year 2009, when the Mexican drove for the Arden team he founded. “He is a very strong driver.”
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