Albon to take Gasly's seat with Red Bull effective immediately

MILTON KEYNES, England (AP) Red Bull Racing has demoted Pierre Gasly after just 12 races of the Formula One season and promoted Alexander Albon to race alongside Max Verstappen.

The team says French driver Gasly will return to Toro Rosso while it uses the next nine races ''to evaluate Alex's performance in order to make an informed decision as to who will drive alongside Max in 2020.''

Gasly has struggled to keep up with Verstappen since being promoted from Toro Rosso at the end of last season. He has just 63 points compared to Verstappen's 181 and failed to make the podium this season.

Albon became the first Thai driver in F1 in 65 years when he made his debut at this year's Australian Grand Prix. He impressed in races in China, Monaco and Germany.