Red Bull boss doesn’t regret his choice for Pierre Gasly midseason – Christian Horner explained that he did not regret promoting Alexander Albon to Red Bull at the expense of Pierre Gasly, despite the Frenchman’s podium finish in Brazil.

Six months after his arrival at Red Bull Racing, Pierre Gasly was demoted to the modest Toro Rosso team due to a succession of disappointing results, while Alexander Albon went the opposite way.

However, the Frenchman didn’t fall apart mentally, far from it, and even experienced a rebirth. Metamorphosed, the 23-year-old driver managed to turn the tide by achieving much better results, culminating in a second place finish at the Brazilian Grand Prix.

Pierre Gasly thus achieved the first French podium in four years and the first second place in six years.

However, this feat by the French driver does not make Christian Horner regret his decision to switch between Pierre Gasly and Alexander Albon at the mid-season, citing that “It was the right thing to do.”

“The good news for Pierre is that he took the news of his arrival at Toro Rosso in a positive way.” explains Horner.

“Yes, he still had a drive in F1, he hadn’t been kicked out of the Red Bull program and he reacted very well to that.

“It was the right thing to do because the two drivers, Pierre Gasly and Alexander Albon, have adapted very well.

“You could see in every race that Alex kept improving. He was unlucky in Brazil, but I think he performed brilliantly as this is his first year in F1.

“He’s been in two teams, changed teams in the middle of the year, and on top of that he’s had all the pressure of coming here to Red Bull, having Max as a team-mate.

“I think he really handled the situation very well, took the opportunity and impressed the whole team with his approach, his attitude, his racing science and his feedback,” said Christian Horner in remarks reported by NextGen-Auto.

An important Christmas F1 message!

For our Christian readers, TJ13 wishes you a very happy Christmas. Regardless of religious (or non religious) beliefs, we wish you the very best of the holiday season and a happy new year.

We also wish to thank you for your contributions, shares and comments on our posts. As always, we’re on the lookout for new contributors so please register your interest using the ‘join us’ link in the menu above.

We will be back to provide more F1 content soon. I sincerely hope you will join us for 2020.

In the meantime, maybe enjoy some of Mr E’s Christmas card collection in the gallery below.

All the best!

The Judge 13.

The latest, funny Christmas card to F1 from Ecclestone

Somewhat of a tradition during his tenure as the Formula 1 ‘ring-master’, Bernie Ecclestone has continued to send satirical Xmas cards, posting amusing current affair style cards to F1 team bosses, journalists and the general officialdom of the paddock.

Last year saw his take on the Chase Carey and Liberty Media takeover of the sport, the team bosses plotting away whilst Carey and the FIA president, Jean Todt, chatting away oblivious to it all. Meanwhile, Ecclestone looks on from afar in a private box housed in the Grandstands.

For 2019, we see Ecclestone take some serious piss out of the sport, highlighting a seemingly inexhaustive list of rules and regulations the drivers must adhere to in order to race in the driver stewards meeting.

Perhaps this is the former boss of F1 take on the coming prescriptive direction he believes the Liberty lead, FIA sanctioned, ‘scripted’ sport has and will continue to become.

The cards from previous years have always contained hidden messages and warnings, and this year appears to be keeping in that fine ‘Bernie’ tradition.

Merry Christmas Bernie Ecclestone