F1 News

Alex Albon reflects on first Singapore Grand Prix

Alex Albon reflects on first Singapore Grand Prix

23-09-2019 11:40

Alex Albon described the Singapore Grand Prix as a "procession" after he started sixth and finished sixth. Albon was making his F1 debut at the Marina Bay Street Circuit.

Albon's first race under the Singapore lights ended in a sixth-place finish. The temperature in Singapore was expected to add an extra battle for the drivers to face. However, Albon admitted the nature of his race made it physically easier than he had originally expected.

Most of that race was just managing my tyres so it was physically easier than I expected. It was only in the last 20 laps when I was really pushing it that I could feel the strain," Albon said.

"So, I would call it a battle of management as I started P6 and finished P6. At times it felt more like a procession than a race for me. It was also a bit frustrating as I spent the whole race stuck behind a Mercedes."

The Red Bull driver admitted he was hoping that a pit stop would allow him to challenge further up but that opportunity never came.

“As I couldn’t overtake on the track I hoped that a pit stop would move me up the field but unfortunately that didn’t happen and then the safety car came out a few times.

"In the middle stint, I wanted to get past Valtteri but I didn’t have the pace to overtake the Mercedes. I spent the whole race starting at a silver rear wing which wasn’t that fun," he added.