Formula 1: Will Alexander Albon secure his first career victory in 2019?

With Alexander Albon now driving for Red Bull Racing, will he win a race before the 2019 Formula 1 season reaches its conclusion?

In a shocking move that at the same time surprised nobody, Aston Martin Red Bull Racing announced that they will be replacing the struggling Pierre Gasly with Scuderia Toro Rosso rookie Alexander Albon for the remainder of the 2019 Formula 1 season, beginning with the 21-race season’s 13th race, the Belgian Grand Prix, at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps in a few weeks.

The 23-year-old Thai-British driver is set to drive for the team in the final nine races of the season, during which time they will assess his performance to see whether or not they feel that it would be beneficial to re-sign him for the 2020 season or look elsewhere for potential teammates for Max Verstappen, who is under contract through next year.

With Albon set to go from one of the mid-pack teams to one of the sport’s only true contenders, will he win a race before the season ends?

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The last time the Milton Keynes-based team replaced one of their drivers during a season was in 2016 when they replaced Daniil Kvyat with Verstappen after four races. Kvyat did not win a race in any of his 21 starts for the team, but Verstappen won his first and has since gone on to win six more, including two in each of the next three seasons.

But don’t expect Albon to win a race right away like Verstappen did, not even before the season ends. Verstappen’s victory in the 2016 Spanish Grand Prix came largely due to the fact that Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport teammates Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton crashed on the race’s opening lap. They combined to win 19 of the 20 other races that season.

Verstappen, who is considered a generational talent and a potential future world champion, did not win another race until the 2017  Malaysian Grand Prix more than 16 months later, at which point he was on a 30-race win drought.

Yes, Red Bull Racing are in the best position that they have been in competition-wise since their four-year championship run from 2010 to 2013, as their first season using Honda engines after ending their 12-year relationship with Renault has been a success and resulted in major gains to the point where they are regularly challenging five-time reigning champions Mercedes.

However, it would be almost unfair to expect Albon to win this year. Not only would he have to beat Verstappen, who has performed at the highest level of anybody in the field over the last several races by getting the absolute most out of his car and winning twice, but he would have to do it during a race weekend when Mercedes aren’t the team to beat.

Considering the fact that Mercedes have won 10 of the season’s first 12 races as well as the fact that they won six of the nine races that remain on this year’s schedule last year, Albon would have to be absolutely flawless at a track where Red Bull Racing are right up there competing with the Silver Arrows, and with no experience driving for the team, it’s hard to picture that happening in 2019.

Let’s also not forget that Scuderia Ferrari have not yet won a race this season despite the fact that they have come close to doing so and probably should have done so three or four times, so there are two more drivers, Sebastian Vettel and Charles Leclerc, for Albon to have to worry about beating.

Perhaps a podium finish isn’t out of the question if Albon can put together a fantastic weekend from start to finish, but as far as him winning this year is concerned, it is very much a long shot.

Will Alexander Albon be a Formula 1 race winner before the 2019 season comes to a close now that he is set to drive for one of the sport’s top teams? He is set to make his debut driving for Red Bull Racing on Sunday, September 1 in the Belgian Grand Prix. This race is set to be broadcast live on ESPN2 from Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps beginning at 9:05 a.m. ET.