Toro Rosso's newest driver Alexander Albon has admitted he is not yet completely ready for the season-opening race in Melbourne.
The Anglo-Thai driver joins Toro Rosso after a strong season in Formula 2, finishing third and only a handful of points behind McLaren's Lando Norris.
Albon, who hadn't driven a Formula 1 car before winter testing in Spain this season, admitted that driving an F1 car was not yet "natural".
"I am progressing quickly," he admitted to France's Auto Hebdo.
"Now it's all about using all of the tools at my disposal. There is a lot to be gained in terms of tyre management and pressing buttons at the right time.
"Things have to become natural and instinctive, which is not the case yet. My engineer still has to suggest things to me, but I feel better and better.
ADVERTISEMENT
"I also need confidence in fast corners, and to find the right compromise between attacking and not attacking. Race management requires practice. Melbourne is going to be a life-sized rehearsal."
Albon will be up against the returning Daniil Kvyat at Toro Rosso this season after the Russian was welcomed back into the Red Bull fold having spent a year as Ferrari simulator driver in 2018.
Don’t miss GPblog in Google
Mark us as a preferred source and our articles will appear more often at the top of Top Stories.
Add as a preferred / source on GoogleRead more about:
latest news
Azerbaijan Grand Prix
Overview
Thursday 24.09.26
Practice 1
08:30 AM
Practice 2
12:00 PM
Friday 25.09.26
Practice 3
08:30 AM
Qualification
12:00 PM
Saturday 26.09.26
Race
11:00 AM
Thursday 24.09.26
Practice 1
Thu 08:30 AM
Practice 2
Thu 12:00 PM
Friday 25.09.26
Practice 3
Fri 08:30 AM
Qualification
Fri 12:00 PM
Saturday 26.09.26
Race
Sat 11:00 AM
Times are in your local timezone
Rumors
Popular on GPBlog
1
Hamilton reportedly pushes Ferrari to replace key trackside figures as Vasseur relationship cools
4679 times read
2
Haas has made a difficult choice: this driver is set to replace Ocon
926 times read
3
LIVE | Verstappen takes 35 minutes to overtake the 100 drivers in epic karting challenge
864 times read
4
Max Verstappen has to make his way past 100 karts.
809 times read
F1-stand 2026
Season
| Pos. | Driver | Team | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
1 | MercedesMER | 292 | |
2 | MercedesMER | 211 | |
3 | FerrariFER | 191 | |
4 | McLarenMCL | 186 | |
5 | FerrariFER | 167 | |
6 | Red Bull RacingRBR | 145 | |
7 | McLarenMCL | 120 | |
8 | Red Bull RacingRBR | 71 | |
9 | Racing BullsRCB | 59 | |
10 | AlpineALP | 41 |
Loading
