Albon makes his maiden F1 run in the STR14

Alexander Albon has driven a Formula 1 car for the first time ahead of his debut at the Australian Grand Prix next month.

The Thai-British driver got behind the wheel of the Toro Rosso STR14, the car that we will race throughout his rookie campaign. Despite successfully climbing through the junior categories over the last number of years, Albon had never driven an F1 car before Wednesday.

The 22-year-old set his first laps around the Misano circuit. Toro Rosso used the day as part of one of its allocated filming days, with teammate Daniil Kvyat also in attendance. The Russian returns to F1 after being dropped from the Red Bull junior programme altogether in 2017.

After finishing third in the FIA Formula 2 championship last year, Albon understands the difficulty of the task he will face in 2019.

"Obviously, I think it’s going to be a steep learning curve,” he said. “I’ll get four days of testing in Barcelona before Melbourne so we don’t have a lot of driving.

“The main focus is to be comfortable in the car and get up to speed as quickly as possible. In terms of my personal preparation, I’ll try not to put too much pressure on myself and give it everything I have from day one. It’s my opportunity this year to show everyone what I’ve got.”