'Albon's not gonna do to Verstappen what Verstappen did to Ricciardo'
F1 News
- GPblog.com
Max Verstappen got two new teammates in less than a year. However, Alexander Albon seems to stay for the time being. But he has it in him to become a fixture at Red Bull Racing and possibly even to compete with his teammate. Renowned Motorsport journalist Mark Hughes thinks so.
In his first season for Toro Rosso and Red bull, Albon hasn't left a crushing impression like Lewis Hamilton and Verstappen did in their first year with a top team. Hughes doesn't think we should expect that from every driver, even the very good ones.
Albon not of same caliber as Verstappen
"Realistically, Alex Albon is not going to do to Verstappen what Verstappen did to Daniel Ricciardo. If he was of that ‘once in a generation’ calibre, Albon would have shown it last year. He is, though, an exceptionally promising driver", the motorsport-journalist eplains on the-race.com.
However, Albon is able to secure a permanent role at Red Bull Racing and possibly even compete with Verstappen in the future. According to Hughes that is definitely one of his possibilities.
In the first place he thinks we shouldn't focus on qualifying times. Albon was on average 0.4 seconds slower than Verstappen last year, but Hughes stresses that also Verstappen didn't come close to Ricciardo's qualifying speed until his fifth race for Red Bull Racing.
Mental strength speaks in Albon's advantage
According to Hughes, Albon can also make use of his mental resilience and intelligence. While Gasly was upset by the big gap with his teammate, Albon seems to be very analytical and calculated to do better the next day or the next Grand Prix. Christian Horner has already compared him to Sebastian Vettel, but smarter.
However, in order to get the team on his side, Albon will have to be clearer with his demands, without chasing team members against him. Hughes' observations tell him that at the moment the Thai is still a bit too shy or cautious to conquer his own place in the team.