Alex Albon thinks "it is a shame that we cannot drive on Saturday"

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10:23, 11 Oct 2019

byLouis Shaw

Alex Albon had two solid practise sessions this weekend and finished FP2 in 6th. The Aston Martin Red Bull racer is hoping to start the Japanese Grand Prix near the front of the grid so that he can battle for a top-five position at Honda's home Grand Prix.

"A great start to the weekend," Albon said after FP2. “I feel more comfortable in the car, certainly in comparison with Sochi. There is work to be done, but the speed is improving. It was a great Friday for me, but I think it is a shame that we cannot drive on Saturday.

“We will see how difficult it will be to have those two sessions in one day. It certainly won't be easy. If it rains, it becomes even more difficult, since the circuit is more dangerous when wet."

There are some things the Red Bull driver wants to work on before the race.

“I still have to find a better balance, but we are not far from the top. We are close enough in turns and we have to optimize a number of things to find just those few tenths. It will be difficult, but it is certainly possible!"

Qualifying is set to be run on Sunday before the race but if the weather remains bad then the grid for the race will be set from the FP2 times, meaning that Albon would start 6th.

Pos.	Driver	Team	Points
1	George Russell George Russell	MercedesMER	51
2	Kimi Antonelli Kimi Antonelli	MercedesMER	47
3	Charles Leclerc Charles Leclerc	FerrariFER	34
4	Lewis Hamilton Lewis Hamilton	FerrariFER	33
5	Oliver Bearman Oliver Bearman	HaasHAA	17
6	Lando Norris Lando Norris	McLarenMCL	15
7	Pierre Gasly Pierre Gasly	AlpineALP	9
8	Max Verstappen Max Verstappen	Red Bull RacingRBR	8
9	Liam Lawson Liam Lawson	Racing BullsRCB	8
10	Arvid Lindblad Arvid Lindblad	Racing BullsRCB	4
11	Isack Hadjar Isack Hadjar	Red Bull RacingRBR	4
12	Oscar Piastri Oscar Piastri	McLarenMCL	3
13	Carlos Sainz Carlos Sainz	WilliamsWIL	2
14	Gabriel Bortoleto Gabriel Bortoleto	AudiAUD	2
15	Franco Colapinto Franco Colapinto	AlpineALP	1
16	Esteban Ocon Esteban Ocon	HaasHAA	0
17	Nico Hulkenberg Nico Hulkenberg	AudiAUD	0
18	Alexander Albon Alexander Albon	WilliamsWIL	0
19	Valtteri Bottas Valtteri Bottas	CadillacCAD	0
20	Sergio Perez Sergio Perez	CadillacCAD	0
21	Fernando Alonso Fernando Alonso	Aston MartinAST	0
22	Lance Stroll Lance Stroll	Aston MartinAST	0

Alex Albon thinks "it is a shame that we cannot drive on Saturday"

byLouis Shaw

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