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Albon ready for Bahrain after intense first race

09:37, 27 Mar 2019

byJake Williams-Smith

Alexander Albon says he is ready to go for the Bahrain Grand Prix after experiencing his first-ever full race weekend as a Formula 1 driver.

The Anglo-Thai driver had out-qualified his more experience Toro Rosso teammate in Daniil Kvyat but lost out in the head-to-head battle in the race, finishing 14th.

Having not driven a Formula 1 car prior to winter testing and being more used to a Formula 2 race weekend, Albon said the experience was a major change from what he was used to.

"It was a major hike up from Formula 2. The actual driving the car part felt familiar to me and once I had my helmet on, it was very simple and straightforward. During the sessions when I was driving, was when I felt most at home, as I could focus just on driving the car.

“I’ve raced in Bahrain in Formula 2, so at least I’ve done some laps on the track and I know which way the corners go. I was quite competitive there last year. I wouldn’t say it’s a fun track but it’s still cool to drive.

"With the long straights, it means that every corner counts, a bit like Monza, and it’s not the type of circuit where you can easily get into a nice rhythm. Also, Bahrain is a more normal sort of race track, less bumpy than Melbourne.

“I expect the whole weekend will feel a little bit easier for me, partly because I know the track and partly because I have Australia under my belt, so even though I’m not going to say I’ll feel like a veteran F1 driver there, it should be a more straightforward weekend in terms of knowing what to expect."