Alexander Albon expects his first Singapore Grand Prix will be a “difficult” race after lapping almost a second slower than his team mate and crashing on his first day at the track.
Red Bull’s newest driver was 0.986 seconds slower than Max Verstappen at the end of his first day of running at the Marina Bay circuit.Albon said his feeling in the car was “pretty OK” but he needs to get used to the circuit. “It’s not an easy track,” he said. “Very technical so I need to get used to it.”
“There’s so many corners and everything like that,” he added. “In terms of overheating: yourself, tyres, brakes. It’s going to be a difficult one on Sunday I’m sure.”
He said the hardest aspect of the 23-turn course is “just hooking up the lap” without making an error. “It’s so technical that you make one mistake and the lap is over. So no mistakes, clean driving but at the same time you’ve got to push to the walls.”
Albon lost some time in the second practice session when he crashed at turn two and damaged his car’s nose.
“I had a lock-up the lap before,” Albon explained. “I had a little flat spot. On top of that I was pushing and just another lock-up in the same kind of place, not the same [location], same spot on the tyre.”
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Ashwin (@redbullf1)
20th September 2019, 15:59
I think street circuits always test how much we trust the car, how much we are willing to go head on and brake before a wall and keep the car in the limits.
I can understand Albon’s difficulty, but he’ll get there with some practice
erikje
20th September 2019, 16:28
It’s a circuit where experience counts.
But looking at the difference between Bottas and Ham and Albon and VER he did well for his first try.
bosyber (@bosyber)
20th September 2019, 17:01
Have to agree, and I think that was best illustrated (unless Russell had an issue in FP1?) by Kubica, having driven the track before, even if long ago, being a good 0.6s ahead of Russell in FP1, while being his customary 1s back from his teammate in FP2.
OOliver
20th September 2019, 16:32
The top drivers learn quickly and show their hands with minimum delay.
Albon is no doubt a very competent driver, but I believe he is at the moment slightly not at the same level as Vesterppen, and if he will ever get to that level with time is a big unknown.
The very best drivers show their hands pretty quickly, so the best way to market himself is to adapt to the car very fast and to start setting some very confident lap times.
Easier said than done though.
Gabriel (@naylamp)
20th September 2019, 16:55
That’s what I always thought. One can recognize top drivers because they don’t need that much time to “gain experience”. That’s why I don’t understand when people try to bash ALO for not trashing HAM in its first season, or now VET for not being well ahead of LEC. HAM and LEC are top drivers. Period.
Esploratore (@esploratore)
21st September 2019, 0:51
Totally agree, alonso is imo at hamilton’s level, hamilton was just super in his first season.
Stephen Crowsen (@drycrust)
20th September 2019, 21:03
Hopefully you’ve been doing your homework.
Aussie Rod (@aussierod)
20th September 2019, 23:05
My post from a month ago: ‘Good luck to him but my gut says he’s going to be eaten alive, just like Gasly’.
People said to give Gasly time after the first few races, but half a season later he was still just as far off Max’s pace. I think Red Bull are going to have a tough decision to make at the end of the year…
Esploratore (@esploratore)
21st September 2019, 1:16
If albon doesn’t perform either, just take kvyat.
Annette
21st September 2019, 6:34
Considering he has never raced on this track, not even in F2 and he didn’t get 8 days of pre practice and it’s his first year I think he’s doing okay. Too early to judge him yet