Alexander Albon can be the “surprise of the season”, according to Red Bull Formula 1 team boss Christian Horner, as the Anglo-Thai gears up for his first full campaign with the outfit.
Albon stepped up to Formula 1 with Toro Rosso last year after placing third in the Formula 2 standings, behind Williams’ George Russell and McLaren’s Lando Norris.
Albon’s form, combined with Pierre Gasly’s struggles, prompted Red Bull to carry out a mid-season seat swap, with Albon joining Max Verstappen for the second part of 2019.
Red Bull subsequently opted to keep Albon at the senior team for 2020.
“For Alex, people do forget it’s his second season in Formula 1 and he’s missed sort of the first half of that so it’s been a baptism by fire but he coped with that incredibly well last year,” said Horner.
“He seems to deal with pressure very well and I think we’re just looking for him to make progress on where he finished last season.
“I think opportunities will present themselves for him and I really think he could be the surprise of the season in many respects this year.”
Red Bull finished third in last year’s Constructors’ Championship with three wins, all courtesy of Verstappen, whose triumphs netted power unit partner Honda its first success in the hybrid era.
Red Bull expects to take a step forwards but cautioned that it is still the underdog compared to reigning champions Mercedes.
“Well we all go into the first race with the same amount of points, so I think the pressure on Max is no different to previous years,” said Horner.
“I think he recognises we had a good winter, we came out of pre-season testing well, Mercedes were still the form team to beat but it felt like we had some real potential in our car so that’s going to be crucial as we head into the season.
“For sure they start the season as the favourites, but I sincerely hope and believe in Max and Alex that we have a very strong team and hopefully we can provide them with the equipment and tools to mount a challenge on Mercedes this year.”
