Albon to get Ricciardo’s former F1 race engineer from British GP

Simon Rennie will return to a trackside Formula 1 role for Red Bull as Alex Albon’s new race engineer from this weekend’s British Grand Prix.

Rennie joined Red Bull in 2013 and worked as race engineer for Mark Webber and Daniel Ricciardo until 2018 when he stepped back from a travelling role to take on a factory-based position.

Red Bull says Rennie’s return to a trackside position will strengthen “the experience and knowledge base of its trackside engineering group”.

“As a team we are committed to maximising the performance of the RB16 and our drivers as we continue our championship campaign in this shortened and condensed season,” read a Red Bull statement.

Albon’s previous race engineer, Mike Lugg, who also worked alongside Pierre Gasly before the Frenchman was demoted to AlphaTauri midway through the 2019 season, will move to the factory.

Albon has come under pressure to match the form of teammate Max Verstappen this year, with the Dutchman claiming two podium finishes from the opening three races of the delayed 2020 season.

The Anglo-Thai racer recovered from 13th on the grid to take fifth place in Hungary after being eliminated from qualifying in Q2, following on from a fourth-place finish at the Styrian Grand Prix and retirement at the season-opener in Austria.

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner praised Albon for doing a “super job” in the Hungarian Grand Prix and suggested he should not be criticised for his performances so far this year.

“Obviously as a team it hasn’t been an ideal start to the season but aside from the DNF, we’ve been able to score some good points,” Albon said.

“I think with that being said, the car can only improve so I’m feeling positive. We know the areas we need to work on and with Silverstone being a home race close to the factory, that’s good news.

“I think we can hopefully get a good result there, historically it’s been a pretty good track for the team, and it’s one I really enjoy driving.”

Albon currently sits fifth in the drivers’ standings, 11 points behind third-placed Verstappen. In the constructors’ championship, Red Bull is second and 66 points adrift of Mercedes.