Scuderia Toro Rosso driver Alex Albon has said that the Hockenheimring, which will play host to the next race of the season, the German Grand Prix, is “what I would call a ‘standard’ track”.
Albon said that although they were more competitive last time out at Silverstone than they have been previously this season, he knows the race in Germany is not going to be easy. It will also be the first time that he has tackled the circuit in a Formula 1 car.
There has so far not been much in the difference of points between Albon and his more experienced team-mate, the Russian Daniil Kyvat this season. Albon currently has seven points, while Kyvat has twelve.
“In Silverstone, we were definitely more competitive than at the previous two races and we were able to find a much better balance with the car. We managed to get into Qualifying 3 again and the car generally felt good.
“However, that doesn’t mean I expect an easy weekend in Germany, which will be another tough event for us. We have made progress and we know which parameters we need to work on and it’s going in the right direction.” he said.
The British driver has had prior experience racing at the circuit in GP3 in his junior career, but these outings did not go as he would have hoped.
“As for my memories of Hockenheim, I remember qualifying on pole there in GP3 and then I crashed out of the first race while I was leading. Then I also crashed in Race 2!
“It’s an okay track, it’s what I would call a ‘standard track’, with all the usual elements and some nice corners like the one leading into the Stadium, which has a cool atmosphere with all the fans.”
He added that the track layout provides plenty of opportunities to overtake, although one must be careful to look after their tyres during Qualifying or run the risk of destroying them before the end of the lap.
“Overtaking is pretty good, especially as you have a long back straight going into a hairpin, which always provides a passing opportunity. It can be hard on the tyres and even in Qualifying, you have to make sure you look after them on a single lap, or the tyres can be shot by the last couple of corners.
“The tarmac is old, so the surface is much rougher than at some of the newer re-surfaced circuits. It’s something we will be keeping an eye on.”
Albon will be hoping to finish in the points for the next few races, and head into the summer break on a high.
