Red Bull Reportedly Informed Alex Albon of His Brutal Axing Hours Before Official Announcement
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via Reuters
Formula One F1 – Bahrain Grand Prix – Bahrain International Circuit, Sakhir, Bahrain – Red Bull’s Alexander Albon Pool via REUTERS/Hamad I Mohammed
It’s official now. The news that everyone has been waiting to hear and read eagerly. Finally, Red Bull is partnering Sergio Perez alongside Max Verstappen for the 2021 F1 season. And the fall guy amongst all this is Alex Albon.
The Thai driver was in the loop, apparently like the rest of us. Credit to the Red Bull marketing department, they have made one hell of a storyline with this. And the key to that was secrecy. To the extent that the drivers were also caught out.
According to Autosport, Albon was informed of the decision to sack him in favor of Sergio Perez just hours before the public announcement in a meeting with Team Principal Christian Horner. Very blunt, even by Red Bull’s standards.
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“Autosport understands Albon was officially informed of the decision in a meeting with Red Bull team principal Christian Horner on Friday afternoon, shortly before the announcement was made”
via Reuters
Formula One F1 – Emilia Romagna Grand Prix – Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari, Imola, Italy -Red Bull’s Alexander Albon in action during practice Pool via REUTERS/Rudy Carezzevoli TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY
However, horner believes the team took the decision after long deliberation. After assessing that Perez was the better choice to partner Max, they made the call.
“Alex is a valued member of the team, and we thought long and hard about this decision. Having taken our time to evaluate all the relevant data and performances, we have decided that Sergio is the right driver to partner Max for 2021 and look forward to welcoming him to Red Bull Racing.”
What’s next for Alex Albon?
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With this, the drivers’ market is more or less closed aside from Hamilton’s impending contract with Mercedes. And things are looking bleak for the Anglo-Thai driver, and he will seemingly be forced to warm the bench during the 2021 season.
via Getty
NUERBURG, GERMANY – OCTOBER 10: Alexander Albon of Thailand and Red Bull Racing and Red Bull Racing Team Principal Christian Horner talk in the garage during qualifying ahead of the F1 Eifel Grand Prix at Nuerburgring on October 10, 2020 in Nuerburg, Germany. (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images)
Though it is not all doom and gloom. He is not out of F1 completely, as he will serve as the reserve driver for Red Bull and AlphaTauri. Regarding his role for next season, Horner said,
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“Alex remains an important part of our team as test and reserve driver with a key focus on 2022 development, and we would like to thank him for his hard work and contribution.”
Alex should brush off this disappointment and look ahead. He is a promising driver. And it’s not as if he didn’t see this coming. He can land on his feet like Daniil Kvyat and Pierre Gasly before him; for he is not the first to face the ax and certainly not the last.
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