F1 Pundit Believes Alex Albon’s Time at Red Bull Might Be Over

Things took a turn for the worse for Red Bull at Sunday’s Emilia Romagna Grand Prix. After star driver Max Verstappen suffered a tire blowout leading in P2, the onus was on Alex Albon to bring home some points.

However, he failed to perform yet again. Replays showed that having conceded to Perez in the overtake move, Albon hit the throttle too hard, and had a lock-up in a crucial area of the track. In doing so, he slipped all the way down to P15.

F1 pundit Paul di Resta believes that although he has time until the end of the season, his efforts would come a bit too late for Red Bull’s liking. According to him, this writing may already be on the wall for Albon.

No way back for Alex Albon, says di Resta

Until a month back or so, Albon looked to be a certainty in the second seat heading into 2021. However, his recent performances have forced the team to monitor the situation in the drivers’ market.

Di Resta is quoted by Planet F1 as saying, “I don’t really see a way back for Albon to be honest. I think even if he delivered this weekend [at Imola] it’s all a bit too late.”

Albon’s efforts have not been good enough to culminate into results, might see him lose his seat. The former Williams driver also believes that they need a driver with ‘personality’ alongside Verstappen.

“You need that fighting talk and you need to be able to go in there and direct where you want to be and I don’t hear that when he’s talking on the radio.” said di Resta in his comments.

Is it the end of the road for Albon at Red Bull, then?

As the race weekends go by, it is hard to make a case for Albon staying at the Austrian-licensed outfit. Barring the podium at Mugello, he has not stepped up to the plate when needed him the most.

From that perspective, lining up a solid replacement is something that Red Bull should look to do. Speculation has indicated that it could be either Sergio Perez or Nico Hulkenberg taking that second seat.

Albon will definitely have until the end of the season to make an impression. However, as 2021 draws closer, the likes of Perez and Hulkenberg will keep a close eye on the future developments at Red Bull.