74 GP RACING APRIL 2020
departed andthe next batch of youngsters – the
likes of Niko Kari, Sérgio Sette Câmara and Dan
Ticktum – didn’t quite hit the heights of their
predecessors. It led to the unusual sight of Jake
Dennis, a Red Bull simulator driver but not a
member of the Red Bull Junior Team, taking
on testing dutieswhen the team was mandated
to run a rookie, and also to Brendon Hartley
and Alex Albon, former Red Bull Juniors, being
invited in from the cold. Thecupboard was bare.
This is, however, one ofthose occasions where
the origins story doesn’t really matter: Quite
what shapethat redemption takes is nebulous.
Alex Albon seized his opportunity in the second
half of 2019, accruing comfortably more points
in nine races than Gasly had in 12, and doing
so under less advantageous circumstances.
Perhaps more significantly, Albon’s presence at the sharp end
created greater strategy headaches for rival teams, providing
Verstappen with a much-needed tailgunner. Doing this duly
secured him the coveted seat for 2020, though before that
happened, Red Bull gave every indication that thecontest
to be Verstappen’s dancing partner was open to all three–
an d just those three.
“All the drivers that are under consideration are under
contract, so we’re in a unique position where we don’t need
to rush anything,” said Red Bull team principal Christian
Horner. “We’ll take the fullness of time to look and evaluate
the progress of Alex and measure it against Dany and Pierre.”
Whether that process is still in effect nowthat Albon has
completed his probationary period is a matter of conjecture.
Horner has suggested that histeam isn’t philosophically
opposedto looking outside the Red Bull family in the future,
but it wouldn’t be its first choice. Kvyat and Gasly’s best chance
of progressing their careers beyond the midfield still lies
with a return to Milton Keynes. Having been cast aside, they
have arguably a steeper slope to climb now – but their earlier
experiences should makethem better prepared for the ascent.
In that sense, the task for
the AlphaTauri drivers is no
different to that for the vast
majority of the field. They need
to beat their team-mate, deliver
slightly more than is expected
of them on track, contribute
to the development of the car
with solid feedback off it, and
generally radiatepositivity and
enthusiasm when tasked with
the thousand-and-one things
racing drivers usually do with
poor grace. These are tasks
Kvyat copedwith poorly on his
first return to Toro Rosso in
2016 but looked markedly better
prepared for when handed
another chance last year.
While not quite the Damascene
conversion, there was plenty
of evidence that the Russian driver had experienced some
personal growth during his sojourn in Ferrari’s simulator –
and he freely admits there’s moreto do.
“I’m looking to evolve personally,” he says. “Every year I
find something new that I canwork on and improve, it’s a
constant evolution of myself. I feel like last year was a good
one for me interms of personal discoveries, understanding
what works for me, what doesn’t. I think in terms of my
performance, I’m always quite happy with what I manage to
squeeze out of the cars, but you always needto be ready to
deliver your best and still think that you can always improve.”
Kvyat may consider himself unluckily overlookedwhen a
replacement for Gaslywas required. At the summer break
he was winning the qualifying battle against his rookie
team-mate and was comfortably ahead inthe points table.
He’d recently had the bonus of a podium finish in Germany,
KVYAT AND GASLY ARE ALPHATAURI’S
DRIVER PAIRING FOR 2020 AND
REDEMPTION IS WITHIN THEIR GRASP
Thenameis
newbutthe
driversknow
theteam
intimately
74 GP RACING APRIL 2020
departed andthe next batch of youngsters – the
likes of Niko Kari, Sérgio Sette Câmara and Dan
Ticktum – didn’t quite hit the heights of their
predecessors. It led to the unusual sight of Jake
Dennis, a Red Bull simulator driver but not a
member of the Red Bull Junior Team, taking
on testing dutieswhen the team was mandated
to run a rookie, and also to Brendon Hartley
and Alex Albon, former Red Bull Juniors, being
invited in from the cold. Thecupboard was bare.
This is, however, one ofthose occasions where
the origins story doesn’t really matter: Quite
what shapethat redemption takes is nebulous.
Alex Albon seized his opportunity in the second
half of 2019, accruing comfortably more points
in nine races than Gasly had in 12, and doing
so under less advantageous circumstances.
Perhaps more significantly, Albon’s presence at the sharp end
created greater strategy headaches for rival teams, providing
Verstappen with a much-needed tailgunner. Doing this duly
secured him the coveted seat for 2020, though before that
happened, Red Bull gave every indication that thecontest
to be Verstappen’s dancing partner was open to all three–
an d just those three.
“All the drivers that are under consideration are under
contract, so we’re in a unique position where we don’t need
to rush anything,” said Red Bull team principal Christian
Horner. “We’ll take the fullness of time to look and evaluate
the progress of Alex and measure it against Dany and Pierre.”
Whether that process is still in effect nowthat Albon has
completed his probationary period is a matter of conjecture.
Horner has suggested that histeam isn’t philosophically
opposedto looking outside the Red Bull family in the future,
but it wouldn’t be its first choice. Kvyat and Gasly’s best chance
of progressing their careers beyond the midfield still lies
with a return to Milton Keynes. Having been cast aside, they
have arguably a steeper slope to climb now – but their earlier
experiences should makethem better prepared for the ascent.
In that sense, the task for
the AlphaTauri drivers is no
different to that for the vast
majority of the field. They need
to beat their team-mate, deliver
slightly more than is expected
of them on track, contribute
to the development of the car
with solid feedback off it, and
generally radiatepositivity and
enthusiasm when tasked with
the thousand-and-one things
racing drivers usually do with
poor grace. These are tasks
Kvyat copedwith poorly on his
first return to Toro Rosso in
2016 but looked markedly better
prepared for when handed
another chance last year.
While not quite the Damascene
conversion, there was plenty
of evidence that the Russian driver had experienced some
personal growth during his sojourn in Ferrari’s simulator –
and he freely admits there’s moreto do.
“I’m looking to evolve personally,” he says. “Every year I
find something new that I canwork on and improve, it’s a
constant evolution of myself. I feel like last year was a good
one for me interms of personal discoveries, understanding
what works for me, what doesn’t. I think in terms of my
performance, I’m always quite happy with what I manage to
squeeze out of the cars, but you always needto be ready to
deliver your best and still think that you can always improve.”
Kvyat may consider himself unluckily overlookedwhen a
replacement for Gaslywas required. At the summer break
he was winning the qualifying battle against his rookie
team-mate and was comfortably ahead inthe points table.
He’d recently had the bonus of a podium finish in Germany,
KVYAT AND GASLY ARE ALPHATAURI’S
DRIVER PAIRING FOR 2020 AND
REDEMPTION IS WITHIN THEIR GRASP
Thenameis
newbutthe
driversknow
theteam
intimately
