Alex Albon impressed Horner all weekend after finishing fifth on Red Bull debut
F1 News
Alex Albon made his Red Bull debut at the Belgian Grand Prix in Spa, and his team principal Christian Horner has been reflecting on the Thai driver's weekend.
The former Toro Rosso driver joined Red Bull over the summer break, replacing Pierre Gasly who dropped down to Toro Rosso.
Albon was dealt a blow early into his Red Bull career as he was forced to take a grid penalty for taking a new Honda power unit. However, Albon worked his way through the field to earn a credible fifth-place finish, the highlight being a swift overtake on former Red Bull driver, Daniel Ricciardo.
Horner has been reflecting on Albon's weekend and he felt he handled himself very well.
"Alex has impressed me all weekend with his approach, his feedback, his pace,” Horner said on the F1 website.
“In the race, he did a very mature job.
"The first half of the race we weren’t quite as competitive on the harder tyre as we were on the softer tyre but he didn’t make any silly mistakes or take any silly risks. He just dialled himself in."
On his impressive overtakes, Horner added: "We know Daniel’s a tough racer – his move on Daniel, his move on Sergio on the last lap were impressive. To go from P17 to P5 was a very good start."