Red Bull Racing team principal Christian Horner has defended Alex Albon after six-time World Champion Lewis Hamilton suggested the Thai driver isn’t as quick as Valtteri Bottas or Max Verstappen.
“It’s slightly ironic that Lewis [Hamilton] is the guy that’s taken him out of two podium positions!” Horner told Sky Sports F1 when asked about Hamilton’s remarks, pointing to the two occasions the Mercedes driver collided with Albon and was adjudged to be at fault by the stewards.
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Horner continued his defence of Albon, insisting that he is improving from race to race.
“The car is tricky this year, I think it’s been a little bit trickier than last year. But he’s getting to grips with it, and I think his performance on race days, his race craft, his progress through the field, has always been very, very strong,” he added.
“If we can give him a better car, as I think we did in Saturday in Spa, then I think he’ll only benefit from that in the remaining races.”
Continuing, Horner said he was impressed by the young Thai driver’s ability to bounce back.
“If he’s had a bad Saturday then he’s come back and driven incredibly well on a Sunday. So he’s got that mental resilience, and he’s got that racecraft.”
Earlier in the week, Alex Albon said he “won’t listen to what Lewis has to say” as he remains focused on improving his performances and retaining his seat at Red Bull.
There has been some speculation that Scuderia AlphaTauri driver Pierre Gasly could soon make a return to Red Bull, but Horner recently said they have “no intention” of switching the two drivers around in 2020.
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