Alexander Albon said it was the right thing to do to cancel the first practice session at the Baku City Circuit after George Russell’s crash instigated by a loose drain cover, even though it cost him some valuable time to learn the track.
The Scuderia Toro Rosso driver had come into the weekend with plans to adapt his Friday running to get himself acclimatised to the circuit quicker in a Formula 1 car but could only complete a solitary out lap in first practice before it was red flagged and cancelled following Russell’s crash. This meant he had to do all his track learning and limit finding in just the one session on Friday afternoon.
Nevertheless, Albon was able to finish inside the top ten in that afternoon session, setting the eighth best time of the session, and he feels there is still some time to find in the STR14 during final practice on Saturday morning before Qualifying for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix later in the day.
“There was only one practice session today, but I think it was the right choice considering the safety risks,” said Albon. “The car was quick straight away going into FP2.
“We did a good job preparing the car and we managed to put in some fast laps before moving to the high-fuel run, so it’s all looking good at the moment. We just need to fine-tune the car and I feel I’ve got more time to gain once I get to know the track better in a Formula 1 car.”
