While pleased with his debut performance in Australia Scuderia Toro Rosso rookie Alexander Albon expects this weekend’s Bahrain Grand Prix to be “a bit easier.”
Albon qualified thirteenth on his Formula 1 debut in Melbourne almost two weeks ago before dropping a position in the race. Despite going backwards, Albon was content with his steady debut performance.
“Generally, I was happy with how the weekend went in Australia, although I felt a bit on the back foot going into the free practice sessions,” said Albon. “Qualifying went well, that’s also why I was a bit disappointed not to finish in the points, but Melbourne went well enough for me to be looking forward to the next race in Bahrain in a positive frame of mind.
“I learned a lot and feel better prepared. I found the scheduling pretty intense over my first F1 weekend, with interviews, media sessions and I wasn’t expecting how much engagement there would be with the fans. It was a major hike up from Formula 2. The actual driving the car part felt familiar to me and once I had my helmet on, it was very simple and straightforward. During the sessions when I was driving, was when I felt most at home, as I could focus just on driving the car.”
Unlike the Albert Park Circuit in Melbourne, Albon has experience of the Bahrain International Circuit and the Thai driver believes that will help his race weekend to be somewhat “easier.”
“I’ve raced in Bahrain in Formula 2, so at least I’ve done some laps on the track and I know which way the corners go. I was quite competitive there last year. I wouldn’t say it’s a fun track but it’s still cool to drive. With the long straights, it means that every corner counts, a bit like Monza, and it’s not the type of circuit where you can easily get into a nice rhythm. Also, Bahrain is a more normal sort of race track, less bumpy than Melbourne.
“I expect the whole weekend will feel a little bit easier for me, partly because I know the track and partly because I have Australia under my belt, so even though I’m not going to say I’ll feel like a veteran F1 driver there, it should be a more straightforward weekend in terms of knowing what to expect.”
