Red Bull Racing had to be creative to fit Albon in the car
General
- GPblog.com
Just like Max Verstappen, Alexander Albon is busy training in this extended rest period. Because there is no racing, the Thai, like all other drivers, now has to do more work than he normally does around this time of the year. In addition, because of his body he has some other challenges.
Albon talks to Autoweek about the tight training schedule he has to maintain at the moment. Normally he builds up the intensity of those workouts a few weeks before the start of the season, but now he has to do it again. Especially since he hasn't been able to build up a 'competition rhythm'.
Although this applies to all drivers, Albon has an extra handicap: his height. "I'm 1.89, that's pretty long for a Formula One driver. Because we have to stick to a maximum weight, we have to find a complicated balance between body weight and muscle strength. It takes a lot of training hours".
Albon gets more space in latest Newey design
In addition to the strict training regime, his height has another drawback. Cars designed by Adrian Newey are usually not known for comfort, but if you have to replace the much smaller Pierre Gasly halfway through the season, it's all packed up. Luckily for Albon, he won't be bothered by that this year.
"I had to take over Pierre's car, and he's not that big. They solved that creatively back then. However, now that it was known that I would also be driving for Red Bull Racing this year, the car is more tuned to my height. That's an advantage, of course."