Formula 1: Red Bull did what they didn’t want to do

Everyone at Red Bull wanted to see Alexander Albon back with the team for the 2021 Formula 1 season, but they went with Sergio Perez anyway.

Following much speculation, Red Bull confirmed last Friday that Sergio Perez is set to replace Alexander Albon and compete alongside Max Verstappen with the team in the 2021 Formula 1 season.

It had been announced in September that Perez would be replaced by four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel alongside Lance Stroll at Racing Point, which are set to be rebranded as Aston Martin beginning next year.

Perez is set to become the first driver from outside the Red Bull program to sign with the team to compete in Formula 1 since 2007.

But the decision to replace Albon, who is still set to keep a role with the team as their reserve driver with his eyes on positioning himself to be back competing on Sundays in 2022, nobody at the Milton Keynes-based team wanted to see the 24-year-old Thai-British driver lose his seat.

Here is what team principal Christian Horner had to say about the matter, according to RACER.

"“Max’s 2021 teammate has been a matter for debate and at times something that has yielded intense questioning and external pressure for Alex. He handled this extremely well and it impressed me how much strength, resilience and class he has displayed throughout.“All of us wanted to see Alex retain the seat for 2021. We therefore made the decision to evaluate the performances at the end of the season with a full set of data. Looking at the delta between our two drivers and given Sergio’s strong performances, particularly in the second half of the year, we made the decision that Sergio had earned the 2021 seat.“Alex remains an important part of the team and will focus on 2022 development and of course making himself a contender for a future race seat. He is also one of the most humble drivers we have ever worked with and a highly regarded member of the team.“We have decided to go outside of the program for the first time since 2007 but we need to field the strongest team possible in order to take the fight to Mercedes. Sergio’s experience will be crucial next season and we look forward to welcoming him to the team.”"

Albon, who competed for Toro Rosso as a rookie in the first 12 races of the 2019 season, replaced a struggling Pierre Gasly with nine races to go and retained his seat for 2020. He finished in a sixth place tie in the driver standings in 2020 with two podium finishes, the first two of his career, and an average finish of 8.3.

He had been in line for a podium finish, perhaps even a win, in the season-opening Austrian Grand Prix at the Red Bull Ring before late contact with Lewis Hamilton. A subsequent issue a few laps later forced him to retire.

More from Formula One

• Formula 1: Top Red Bull threat identified for 2024
• Formula 1: Why the Max Verstappen retirement obsession?
• Formula 1: Williams ‘mistake’ hints Logan Sargeant’s future
• Formula 1 awaiting key confirmation for 2024 season
• Formula 1: The ‘championship’ Max Verstappen only leads by 3 points

He finished in third place in the Tuscan Grand Prix at Autodromo Internazionale del Mugello and he finished in third again in the Bahrain Grand Prix at Bahrain International Circuit.

But with 105 points, he finished with less than half the amount of points as Verstappen (214), who finished in third place in the standings with two wins, nine more podium finishes and an average finish of 7.1. Meanwhile, Perez managed a career-high fourth place finish in the standings, the highest for a driver outside of Mercedes, Red Bull or Ferrari since 2014, with a career-high 125 points despite the fact that the 2020 season was shortened from 22 races to 17 races as well as the fact that he missed two races after testing positive for COVID-19.

He secured his first career victory in the season’s penultimate race, the Sakhir Grand Prix at the Bahrain International Circuit outer layout.

Perez is set to make his Red Bull debut on Sunday, March 21, 2021 in the first of a record-breaking 23 races on next year’s Formula 1 schedule, the Australian Grand Prix at Albert Park Grand Prix Circuit.