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Albon positive about qualifying result in Singapore as he keeps learning

Albon positive about qualifying result in Singapore as he keeps learning

21-09-2019 18:56
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Nicolás Quarles van Ufford

Aston Martin Red Bull Racing rookie Alexander Albon was left content with his own qualifying result in Singapore, as the Thai set a new career-best by qualifying in P6 ahead of the closest thing he has to a home race.

His third race weekend in Red Bull overalls after swapping seats with Pierre Gasly in the summer, Albon continues to grow more confident in the RB15. He is still some way off star driver Max Verstappen, who was over half a second quicker than the 24-year-old, but P6 is a good result nonetheless for the rookie.

Ahead of his first-ever race in Singapore, the most physically taxing of them all due to the brutal conditions in Singapore, Albon ultimately felt content with his own performance under the floodlights on Saturday.

“I felt like the car was getting away from me a little bit in Q1 and I was chasing a bit of balance," he admitted.

"Then towards the final run we changed a few things, the set-up felt better and I started to get my confidence back as the car’s performance improved. That’s all part of the learning curve and I’m understanding more and more about how to make the car go faster around this track."

Looking ahead to Sunday's night race, a Grand Prix which has always featured at least one Safety Car, Albon feels confident he can fight from his starting position, as he lines up on the third starting row next to Mercedes driver Valtteri Bottas.

"Strategy will be important tomorrow and the tyres don’t look like they’re holding on that well. The track is also very technical so I’m expecting a long, hard race. Of course I would have liked to have finished a little higher up today and there is still work to do, but overall I felt it wasn’t a bad result. I will focus on the positives and take a cold bath before the race and be ready to fight from P6.”