Alex Albon has denied that he might be happy to be demoted to Red Bull’s second Formula 1 team.
The struggling British-born Thai driver caused a stir this week when he was spotted in Turkey filming for an Alpha Tauri fashion advert alongside Pierre Gasly.
It triggered speculation that he might return to the Italian based team next year as Red Bull Racing looks to a more experienced driver like Nico Hulkenberg or Sergio Perez to be Max Verstappen’s new teammate in 2021.
"No, I wouldn’t agree to going back to Alpha Tauri," Albon is quoted as saying by Tercer Equipo, a Spanish language sports portal.
"It’s every driver’s dream to race for a high-level team and that team for me is Red Bull. My intention is to continue," the 24-year-old insisted.
Red Bull has supported Albon throughout 2020, but the critique by pundits including Jacques Villeneuve is becoming increasingly biting.
Speaking to Sky Italia, 1997 world champion Villeneuve describes Albon as "the second worst driver Red Bull has ever had".
"He is protected by the team management because of his passport, but the truth is that he is not at the level that a Red Bull driver should be at.
"He’s even getting worse even though they keep trying to help him," Villeneuve added.
Albon says he is trying to ignore that sort of commentary.
"There are always conversations and rumours but in the end, it’s not going to change what I do on the track," he said.
"I know that if I focus on getting good results, they will stop talking so much, but these things always happen in F1. I know what I have to do and I’m focused on it, and that’s what matters to me."