Pierre Gasly dropped by Red Bull, Toro Rosso driver Alexander Albon steps up

Red Bull

Gasly dropped by Red Bull, Toro Rosso driver steps up

Wow!

Matthew Scott

Monday 12 August 2019 12:30 Updated: 12:21

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Pierre Gasly has been dropped by Red Bull after an underwhelming first part of the 2019 season, with Alexander Albon sensationally stepping up from Toro Rosso to replace him.

Gasly will move back to the Red Bull junior team from the Belgian Grand Prix onwards, teaming up with Daniil Kvyat, who went through similar experience to the Frenchman in 2016.

Having secured a podium finish in the chaotic German GP recently, Kvyat may have appeared to be at the front of the queue to replace Gasly, but Red Bull have opted for Albon instead.

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The Thai driver has impressed greatly since debuting in Formula 1 this year, securing five top-10 finishes in the first 12 races, despite having never driven an F1 car before pre-season testing.

A team statement read: "Red Bull are in the unique position of having four talented Formula One drivers under contract who can be rotated between the Team and Toro Rosso.

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Bring it on! ? @Alex_Albon to join Max from the #BelgianGP ? Hit the link in our bio for more. #AlexAlbon #Formula1 #F1 #AstonMartinRedBullRacing #RedBull #givesyouwings #?

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"The Team will use the next nine races to evaluate Alex’s performance in order to make an informed decision as to who will drive alongside Max [Verstappen] in 2020."

Gasly has finished behind Verstappen in all 12 races so far this season, and only qualified ahead of him once - in Canada when a failed strategy gamble left the Dutchman with a Q2 elimination.

The Frenchman is 118 points behind Verstappen over the summer break, and just five points ahead of McLaren's Carlos Sainz. Gasly has finished behind at least one of the McLaren drivers in three of the last five races, while Verstappen has won twice in that period.

Albon's journey to the Red Bull senior team is a remarkable one. He was dropped from the team's junior programme in 2014 and was only brought back into the fold earlier this year at the last minute, having signed a long-term deal with Nissan to race in Formula E before Helmut Marko came calling.