Alex Albon has described as "a big deal" confirmation he will drive for Red Bull in the 2020 Formula One season.

The Thai-British driver has been a revelation since being promoted from 'sister' team Toro Rosso over the summer break as team-mate to Max Verstappen, earning rich praise from Red Bull team principal Christian Horner.

Albon has scored 68 points for Red Bull over his seven races, just four behind Verstappen, including a career-high finish of fourth at the Japanese Grand Prix.

Horner feels Albon fully merits the extended contract, saying: "Alex has performed extremely well since his debut with the team in Belgium and his results – seven finishes in the top-six – speak for themselves.

"It's extremely hard to deny that level of consistency, and in tandem with a growing reputation as a tenacious, fiercely committed racer, Alex has proved that he fully deserves to continue his progress with Aston Martin Red Bull Racing.

"There is plenty of potential still to unlock and we look forward to seeing Alex alongside Max in 2020."

Toro Rosso, meanwhile, have confirmed an unchanged pairing for 2020 of Daniil Kvyat and Pierre Gasly, who made way for Albon at Red Bull after a poor first half of the season.

Team principal Franz Tost felt both Gasly and Kvyat deserved another chance together.

"Both drivers have shown really good performances this season and they have proven in their years in F1 to be very competitive, able to exploit the car's potential and give valuable feedback to make improvements," said Tost.

"This young but experienced duo, combined with hopefully a competitive car, will be the best factors to achieve a very successful season in 2020 and I'm looking forward to this extended cooperation."