Red Bull reserve driver Alex Albon will race at select rounds of the DTM (Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters) championship this year.
The 24-year-old was replaced by Sergio Perez at Red Bull’s Formula One team for 2021, but remains contracted to the energy drinks brand as a reserve driver.
Alongside his duties with the F1 team, including simulator work and his position as a reserve for Perez and Max Verstappen, Red Bull announced he will race in the DTM, Germany’s top-level touring car series, at select rounds this season.
Albon’s DTM team, the driver he will share the cockpit with and the type of car he will drive have not yet been announced.
New Zealander Liam Lawson was also named as a Red Bull-backed DTM driver for 2021.
“The DTM with a high-class field and GT3 sports cars is an interesting plarform and a real challenge, both for successful race drivers like Alex Albon as for our Red Bull junior driver Liam Lawson,” Helmut Marko, Red Bull’s motorsport consultant, said.
Albon was demoted from his race drive at Red Bull after struggling for performance next to teammate Verstappen in 2020. He joined the team midway through 2019 from Toro Rosso as Pierre Gasly’s replacement.
Albon is the first in line to replace either of the Red Bull drivers in 2021 and is also the reserve for junior team AlphaTauri.