Albon feeling 'at home' at Red Bull

Alexander Albon says he is feeling at home at Red Bull following his first day of on-track action as a driver for the energy drink squad.

The Thai-British driver is making his debut for Red Bull this weekend at the Belgian Grand Prix, and had a seemingly trouble-free day, looking comfortable in the first practice session as he ended up just one-tenth behind teammate Max Verstappen. 

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In the second session, Albon focused on race setup and pace, as he will be sent to the back of the grid for taking on new engine components that exceed the season quota.

Albon says that his transition to Red Bull from Toro Rosso is all just "baby steps", but is already feeling welcome at the team. 

"It was a pretty smooth day," Albon said. "It was a good time, I feel quite at home with the guys, they've been very nice to me. It is very different, I already felt when we did the sim on Wednesday that it's going to take some time getting used to.

"But once you're on the track and you put the helmet on, you have a bit more G-forces and you can feel the car a bit better. But just baby steps really."

Penalties take away some pressure

Albon admits that being sent to the back of the grid takes some pressure off as he doesn't have to worry about qualifying pace this weekend.

However, the 23-year-old added that he was keen to see where he stacks up at the front of the field. 

"You could say that, definitely," Albon stated about the release of some pressure. "I still would have liked to have qualified properly and seen where I would have gone. 

"But the focus now is not really on the short run pace, it's just trying to sort the car out for Sunday. So there is a more chilled out atmosphere. But I still want to do a good job on Sunday."