Watch Alex Albon's best moves from 2020, as Horner says Red Bull thought ‘long and hard’ about replacing him

He may have lost his race seat to Sergio Perez, but Alex Albon remains an important member of Red Bull Racing according to Team Principal Christian Horner, who says the team thought “long and hard” about replacing him.

Albon raced for Red Bull for a season and a half, having earned promotion in place of Pierre Gasly midway through his rookie campaign in 2019 after a series of impressive performances for Toro Rosso.

He scored two podiums this season – in Mugello and Bahrain – but was outpaced significantly by Verstappen, who won twice, over the course of the season and ultimately finished 109 points behind the Dutchman in the standings.

He will now take on test and reserve duties with the Milton Keynes-based team, with an eye on 2022 when F1 introduces radical new regulations.

“Alex is a valued member of the Team and we thought long and hard about this decision. Having taken our time to evaluate all the relevant data and performances we have decided that Sergio is the right driver to partner Max for 2021 and look forward to welcoming him to Red Bull Racing.

“Alex remains an important part of our Team as Test and Reserve Driver with a key focus on 2022 development and we would like to thank him for his hard work and contribution.”

Watch Albon's best moments from 2020 in the video above.