F1 News

Red Bull comes with surprising Verstappen replacement: Six-time Olympic champion

Red Bull comes with surprising Verstappen replacement: Six-time Olympic champion

22-03-2020 08:00

Max Verstappen will not take part in the virtual Grand Prix of Bahrain which was organised by Formula 1. Alexander Albon will be missing out as well, meaning Aston Martin Red Bull Racing have been forced to look elsewhere. 

The Austrian team has decided to include Chris Hoy and Philipp Eng in the simulator. Hoy won a total of seven medals, of which no less than six times gold, at the Olympic Games in the discipline of track cycling. Since the 43-year-old Briton is no longer active on bicycles, he has started a motorsport career. In 2015 he even won the European Le Mans Series.

Hoy had been driving from Le Mans for 24 hours

Hoy even participated in the Le Mans 24 Hours. He did so behind the wheel of an Aston Martin Vantage GT4, alongside former Formula 1 driver Martin Brundle. Hoy also appeared five years ago in the famous Race of Champions. 

A lesser-known name is Phillip Eng. The 30-year-old driver has been in the business a bit longer than Hoy. The Austrian made his professional driver debut in 2006 and has since won 24 races and 4 titles. He is currently racing in the IMSA WatherTech SportsCar Championship.

Ferrari comes with a well-known name

With the Ferrari team , we will not see Sebastian Vettel and Charles Leclerc in action, but the Mattia Binotto team has chosen another fairly well-known name with Robert Swartzman. Dino Beganovic takes place in the other red car.