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• Alex Albon joined Red Bull Racing mid-2019.
• Albon is failing to deliver and could lose his racing seat.
• Pierre Gasly could regain the Red Bull seat he lost in 2019.
• For more motoring stories, go to www.Wheels24.co.za
Alex Albon is in a bit of a pickle. Having joined Red Bull Racing after the mandatory Formula 1 summer-break in 2019, the driver lined up at the Belgian Grand Prix that year and made quite a debut. Circumstances forced him to start at the back of the grid, yet he fought back brilliantly to register a fifth-place finish when the chequered flag dropped.
This is mighty impressive, and he returned the favour by showing Red Bull that their faith in him was justified. The trend continued throughout the remainder of the 2019 season, and he finished the season in a very commendable eighth place, overall.
2020, however, is a different ballgame and Albon is failing to make any notable impact on this year's championship. Does this mean that he is at risk of losing his Red Bull seat at the end of this season? Maybe.
Pull up your socks
Albon does not have it easy at Red Bull with Max Verstappen as team mate. It would seem, though, that Verstappen can get the maximum out of any car he drives, no matter how challenging the car is. And Red Bull's 2020 is not the easiest to handle around a race track, yet Verstappen is raking in the results while Albon is slipping.
This past weekend at the Italian Grand Prix, Albon finished in 15th place - another poor result in an already challenging season. And his case would not have been helped by Pierre Gasly, the man he replaced at Red Bull last year, taking the victory.
READ: Gasly vs. Albon - Which of these two drivers have performed better in 2020 so far?
If Albon does not improve his performance over the remaining races of 2020, Red Bull could call up Gasly (again) and demote Albon back to AlphaTauri - previously known as Toro Rosso. It's not easy staking your claim in a cut-throat sport like Formula 1, but it's much easier to fall out of favour. And if Albon is not mindful, the latter could be his fate.
