After making his Formula 1 debut two weeks ago at the Australian Grand Prix for Toro Rosso, Alexander Albon is expecting his experience this weekend in Bahrain to be somewhat easier.
Albon qualified in 13th but didn't manage to collect points at his opening race. The Thai-British driver admitted surprise at the intensity of the busy schedule, but thinks the weekend experience will feel more natural the second time of asking.
"I found the scheduling pretty intense over my first F1 weekend, with interviews, media sessions and I wasn't expecting how much engagement there would be with the fans. It was a major hike up from Formula 2," Albon said.
"The actual driving the car part felt familiar to me and once I had my helmet on, it was very simple and straightforward. During the sessions when I was driving, was when I felt most at home, as I could focus just on driving the car.
"I expect the whole weekend will feel a little bit easier for me, partly because I know the track and partly because I have Australia under my belt, so even though I'm not going to say I'll feel like a veteran F1 driver there, it should be a more straightforward weekend in terms of knowing what to expect."
Albon was in contention for points early on in the race but got stuck behind traffic after making his one and only pit stop of the Grand Prix.
The 23-year-old admits he was happy with how his debut went, suffering just one hiccup when he went lost his front wing after hitting the wall in practice.
"Generally, I was happy with how the weekend went in Australia, although I felt a bit on the back foot going into the free practice sessions," Albon stated.
"Qualifying went well, that's also why I was a bit disappointed not to finish in the points, but Melbourne went well enough for me to be looking forward to the next race in Bahrain in a positive frame of mind."
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Bahrain International Circuit - Winter testing
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