Red Bull reserve driver Alex Albon will race in the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters series in 2021.
2020 was a very difficult campaign for Albon in Formula 1 with the Thai driver consistently unable to reach a similar performance level to that of his team-mate Max Verstappen.
And despite a far better showing in the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix where Albon put late pressure on Sir Lewis Hamilton for P3, it wasn’t enough to save his seat for 2021.
Instead Sergio Perez will partner Verstappen in 2021 with Albon remaining at Red Bull as their test and reserve driver.
As it turns out though Albon will get some racing action in 2021 after DTM confirmed that he will be racing in the series with Red Bull’s backing when his duties with the Formula 1 team don’t clash.
He will be joined by Red Bull colleague Liam Lawson. The 18-year-old New Zealander finished P5 in the 2020 Formula 3 Championship.
“The DTM with a high-class field and GT3 sports cars is an interesting platform and a real challenge, both for successful race drivers like Alex Albon as for our Red Bull junior driver Liam Lawson,” says Dr. Helmut Marko, Red Bull’s motorsport consultant.
“Formula 1 drivers like Alex Albon, DTM stars like three-time champion René Rast, GT professionals and young talents like Liam Lawson – that is a high-class driver mix the way I would like it for the 2021 DTM season.”
Ex-DTM and Formula 1 driver Gerhard Berger added: “It is also a perfect fit that ex-Formula 1 World Champion Jenson Button has already submitted an entry for the DTM with his team.
“Alex Albon is a young, ambitious driver and an outstanding gain for the DTM.”
Berger, who became chairman of DTM’s promoter ITR in 2017, recently said his goal for the series in 2021 was to have “20 cars with at least five brands, strong drivers and a battle for the title that goes down to the wire, the final race.”
The driver who will alternate with Albon in the series is going to be announced at a later date.
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