MARKO SETS TARGET FOR ALBON AND RED BULL WILL MAKE A DECISION

Marko : “Three tenths on Max Verstapen, that’s what you have to achieve”, so Albon knows what his aim should be. The positive news for him is that both Marko and Horner see improvement in his performance, but whether that is enough to narrow the gap is still to be seen.

AlphaTauri team principal Franz Tost has confirmed Red Bull will make a decision on its driver line-up in a few weeks’ time.

Pierre Gasly’s stellar season so far, culminating in his maiden victory last weekend in the Italian Grand Prix, has raised debate as to whether the Frenchman will return to Red Bull for 2021 following his demotion last summer.

Gasly’s form has coincided with the struggles of the man who replaced him last season in Alex Albon, primarily as the Thai-British driver has struggled with the set-up of the car.

While Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko has insisted AlphaTauri needs a leader, and that Gasly is arguably ideal for that role, Tost has revealed a final call will soon be made.

“The driver question will come up with Red Bull at the end of October, beginning of November,” Tost told Sky Sports F1.

“We will see how everything is continuing, and then Red Bull makes the decision which driver is racing in which team.”

Gasly’s road to redemption saw him take full advantage of Lewis Hamilton’s 10-second stop-go penalty for an illegal pit stop during the race at Monza before holding off Carlos Sainz over the closing laps to become the first Frenchman since Olivier Panis in 1996 to win an F1 race.

“He belongs to the best Red Bull young drivers,” added Tost. “He is able to win races, or at least one race up until now.

“He has shown as well in the past that he is able to win races and championships, and that’s important.

“I rate him very high because what he showed in Monza he is really a fantastic racer. He controlled the pace and how he made clear to Carlos there was no way of a chance to pass him.

“He read the race very well, and he reacted very well if Carlos came closer. Then he pushed a little more in sector two to gain the same distance once more, and this was the reason why he won the race.

“He drove, I must say, a very, very mature race, and therefore I rate him very high.”

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