'Difference with Albon emphasizes quality of Verstappen'

Alexander Albon has been under a lot of pressure in recent weeks for his inferior performance compared to teammate Max Verstappen. Especially in Spain the Thai driver didn't look good and was a lap down in the race. However, the Red Bull team management have continued to defend him and back their driver.

Albon's form is reminiscent of the first half of 2019, when Pierre Gasly was struggling under similar conditions. The Frenchman was then returned to Toro Rosso for the Belgian Grand Prix. Now a year later, Christian Horner and Helmut Marko are not considering doing the same. Horner emphasized in the press conference prior to the Belgian GP how good Verstappen is and urged patience as the car is hard to drive.

Albon gets time from Red Bull

"We have to acknowledge that the car is more difficult to drive than twelve months ago. And Max is like a driver who knows how to get the most out of this car. Compare it to Senna and Schumacher in the old days, where it wasn't easy to drive alongside them as a teammate."

Unlike a year ago at Gasly, Red Bull is now willing to give Albon more time. Horner stressed that it's only his second season in Formula 1 and he could have won a race anyway this year (in Austria.). He says they are therefore still very happy with the choices they made.