Red Bull: Gasly remains an option for 2020

That is the claim of team boss Christian Horner, even though Gasly was demoted mid-season and replaced by rookie Alex Albon.

The Thai rookie has been confirmed for next season but when asked by Auto Bild if Gasly was still in the frame, Horner replied, "Of course. He has a new contract for 2020 and therefore the chance to make a case for Red Bull again."

Horner explained why Red Bull had to act with Gasly, "The gap was getting bigger and bigger. You only had to look at his body language as his shoulders got lower and lower. We had to act so he could regain confidence."

At the same time, Horner confirmed that Albon improves race-by-race impressing with his composure under pressure and delivering results, "He's intelligent, works very hard, writes down every detail and the baseline speed is good. So far he has improved every race.

"Brazil was the highlight. He would have been on the podium if Hamilton had not turned him around," said Horner.

But he admitted that being Verstappen's teammate is difficult for any driver, "Max and Lewis are probably the most difficult teammates in the field to have. It's hard for every driver in the field to race against them."

So far, Red Bull's instinct appears to have been right, as Gasly is now shining at Toro Rosso and in Brazil, he finished second behind Verstappen for his first podium.

"We are seeing the real Pierre again," Helmut Marko is quoted by Speed Week. "We always believed in him. Had we left him at Red Bull Racing, he might not have recovered."