Alexander Albion promoted to Red Bull Racing to partner Max Verstappen as Pierre Gasly heads to Toro Rosso

Red Bull Racing have promoted Alexander Albon to race alongside Max Verstappen for the remainder of the Formula 1 season. The move will see Pierre Gasly return to race for Red Bull's sister team Scuderia Toro Rosso, alongside Daniil Kvyat. "Red Bull are in the unique position of having four talented Formula 1 drivers under contract who can be rotated between Aston Martin Red Bull Racing and Toro Rosso," said a team statement. "The team will use the next nine races to evaluate Alex's performance in order to make an informed decision as to who will drive alongside Max in 2020." The statement continued: "Everyone at Aston Martin Red Bull Racing looks forward to welcoming Alex to the team and supporting him during the next phase of his F1 career." Red Bull recruited Gasly as a replacement for Renault-bound Daniel Ricciardo but the Frenchman has struggled during the first half of the season, scoring just 63 points to Verstappen's 181. Albon, 23, runner-up in last year's Formula 2 Championship, has impressed in his first season in F1. The British-born Thai driver has scored 16 points from 12 races, with his best result a sixth-placed finish in the rain-affected German Grand Prix.

Alexander Albion promoted to Red Bull Racing to partner Max Verstappen as Pierre Gasly heads to Toro Rosso

Switch came after Gasly endured miserable start to the 2019 season