Albon hopes for repetition Silverstone: 'We didn't expect anything of that either'

A year ago Alexander Albon made his debut at the Belgian Grand Prix as the new driver of Red Bull Racing. Now a year later Albon is back on the same circuit, but the situation is a lot more difficult for the Thai.

''It went by fast, that’s for sure. It definitely doesn’t feel like a year. I’m looking forward to this weekend, I can take what I learned from last year’s race and apply it to this one so there’s a bit of experience that I can take with me which is nice. We already had ideas last year and I remember how the car felt – of course it’s a different car this year but it’s still got similar traits so it’ll be good to compare and see what we can do. As we’ve seen this season, we’ve had some really good races and Spa is good for overtaking so I’m excited to hit the track and get going. I have good memories from last year so hopefully we can do a good job this year – Spa is a nice track and it’s one of the best ones we go to, it’s iconic'', Albon said in the preview of Red Bull Racing.

Fast year for Albon

''I was pretty nervous going into my first race with the Team. Obviously you want to do a good job because you want to make a good impression. I didn’t know anyone, and I’d only been in F1 for six months with Toro Rosso, so going to a big team was obviously very new to me. Now I know everyone, I’m settled in with the Team, we’re making progress each weekend, so it’s nice to go back to the circuit where it all started''.

However, the situation has changed quite a bit in a year. Where Albon arrived at Spa last year without any pressure, it is huge. Just like Pierre Gasly, the Thai is having a very difficult time with his team mate and last year he was driven on a lap by Max Verstappen. That cannot happen again.

Albon now with more pressure

''I remember this weekend last year and even though the Team didn’t give me any pressure, you know you want to do well and do the best job possible so to have a race like last year was pretty special. For this year, well firstly, the ban on qualifying modes has been moved back to Monza, so let’s see how that plays out''.

''I don’t expect this weekend will be easy as Spa is pretty straight-line dependent and Mercedes are very strong power-wise. That being said, in Silverstone we didn’t expect much and we were flying there so let’s see! It’s not always clear where the advantage lies at each circuit with temperatures, tyres, etc but I really enjoy Spa, it’s a nice track that I don’t think has suited us that well in the past, but we’ve seen this season is full of surprises so let’s get out there and see where everyone stacks up'', concludes Albon.