Alex Albon hopes to build on a strong first race with Red Bull at this weekend’s Italian Grand Prix.
Last Sunday, the Thai driver moved up from 17th to claim fifth on the final lap by passing Sergio Perez on the final lap.
That earned him important praise from Red Bull chiefs as he stakes his claim to a 2020 seat, but after all the attention on him at Spa, Albon hopes for a little less stress.
“I’m guessing, and hoping, there will be a lot less noise and attention on Thursday so that it’s a bit quieter for me!” he said in his preview.
“Monza will really be a continuation of the work we did in Spa and I’ll keep on learning as much as I can.
“I think it’s a good thing Spa and Monza are back-to-back races as after the race on Sunday, I jump in the sim on Wednesday and keep everything fresh in my mind ahead of the weekend, that way I don’t need time to re-understand the car.
“I think on my side we’re going to focus more on qualifying runs which is fun, whereas in Spa we looked more at race runs because of the penalty.”
Unlike most drivers, however, the ‘Temple of Speed’ doesn’t hold a particularly strong place in Albon’s heart.
“As for the track, it’s actually not one that I love driving-wise,” he confessed.
“There’s just something about it but I still managed to fight for third there in F2 last year and I was a tenth off pole, so it’s not a disaster!”