It’s Official: Alex Albon Confirmed Red Bull F1 Driver In 2020

We can now finally say it out loud – Alex Albon Confirmed Red Bull F1 Driver is a real thing. He’ll be racing with Max Verstappen for the 2020 Formula 1 schedule

Alex Albon confirmed for his 2020 drive is not a new topic around here. I’ve written extensively about his rookie season compared to Verstappen and how impressive it’s been. One of the major things that seems to be holding back even in small ways is confidence. But how can you blame any of the young Red Bull drivers. If you are constantly afraid of losing your seat and it can happen mid-season, you have to balance going for the results with scoring consistent points. If you contrast this to Verstappen’s time at Red Bull, he had a poor string of results his rookie year as well with Red Bull. But he was given the room to fail. Albon despite being neglected that right, has still managed to be confirmed for a full season. This could make all the difference in the world seeing as they’ve done it with two races remaining. Brazil and Abu Dhabi if I had to guess we’ll see Albon closer on Saturday in particular and hopefully can see him drive a bit more relaxed and go for more opportunities on Saturday.

Let’s go through an analysis of why Red Bull retained Albon and also touch on some thing Albon can improve upon in 2020 if he wants to keep that seat for the new regulations era of 2021. 

There are things Albon has made very clear and that is his resolve. He’s proven he is capable of getting the points necessary to do the job. He has proven time and time again of his ability to charge through the field despite grid penalties from upgrades. He’s also proven that he can recover from an error he has made himself and charge through the field to pick up the points he needs. He’s not only done this with Red Bull Racing, he’s done this with Toro Rosso as well. They have a history of developing young talent as they look to continue that tradition of promoting from within as Toro Rosso Confirm their 2020 drivers lineup. To my knowledge, he is one of the only drivers on the grid to receive driver of the day in his rookie season for two different teams.

Check out the videos I made below that cover off some of his most epic moves breaking down each one extensively.

Albon Confirmed But Still Needs To Improve

With that said, there are places Albon needs to improve for Red Bull to remain in that seat. Let’s take a look at a couple areas that are glaring for the young Thai driver that I’m sure he has his sights set on improving.

Albon Needs To Improve Qualifying

Similar to Gasly, Albon has not been able to outpace his teammate on a Saturday. Max Verstappen is abnormally talented at getting more out of the car than is there, but pacing tenths closer will be a positive step for Albon. While his consistency on Sunday has been a bright spot, he will need to position himself better to be even more competitive. Red Bull is in a tough spot considering the current dynamics. They want to compete with the top two teams with tech than isn’t on par. Thus inherently, the team expects you to punch above your weight. If he can improve his qualifying, Albon has proved his pace can keep par with some of the top drivers out there.

Albon Must Drop Silly Mistakes

Much of what happens in Free Practice Sessions for each grand prix is about finding the limits of the car. Considering Albon is new to that car, he’s not going to be familiar with the extent of what it can do. It’s understandable that he makes small errors early. But just like Albon charge videos are popular around here, I’ve also made my fair share of onboard mistakes showing Albon’s miscalculations. Never to have a go at him, but more so to give some insight to the extent the error of the driver so we know what to expect the following session or have a glimpse into their mindset.

Much of this could easily be resolved now that he’s been confirmed and feels safe to test the limits of the Red Bull without the threat of losing his seat in the final two races. But until we see him drive comfortably, we just won’t know. Here are a couple onboard videos showing you some of the errors we’ve seen him make since being promoted.

Albon himself has continued his humble approach on the matter as he speaks on his excitement given the opportunity to race with Red Bull in 2020 and next to Verstappen. Here’s what he had to say after finding out of Red Bull’s Investment in him: