Alex Albon expects his first Singapore Grand Prix to have a home race feel this weekend.
The British-born Thai racer has adopted his family’s homeland and even made a stop in Bangkok en route to Singapore to meet with the country’s Prime Minister, who called for greater support towards the Red Bull driver.
With the annual night race the nearest to Thailand then, before Vietnam joins the calendar next year, Albon is anticipating a busier than normal schedule.
“I’ll have extra family and sponsors coming to support me which makes it even more exciting and yes, I guess it is like a home race in some ways,” he said.
Also Read:
- Albon calm on Red Bull expectations as Norris tips him to challenge Verstappen
- Albon already touted for 2020 Red Bull seat by Toro Rosso chief Tost
- Albon: I’m still settling into F1, never mind Red Bull!
Even so. the 23-year-old admits this will actually be his first time in Singapore.
“The Marina Bay Street Circuit is a new track for me and it will be my first time in Singapore, so I’m interested to see what it’s all about,” Albon continued.
“I’ve heard it’s one of the most physical races we do because it’s so humid and the race is so long, plus it’s a street race where there’s a lot less margin for error. It will be good fun, especially as I’ve never raced anywhere quite like it before.”
This will be Albon’s third race since switching team’s with Pierre Gasly back in Spa and so far, he has achieved two top-six finishes on circuits that historically don’t suit Red Bull.
Looking ahead, Alex admits he still has plenty of work to do in optimising both his own performance and that of the RB15.
“I’m still understanding the car sometimes, I want certain set-up directions done and actually it’s not the right one, just because I’m learning what the car needs to be quick, he explained.
“But overall it’s not been too bad, I’ve been quite happy with it. Still some work to do on the long runs.
“Maybe I’m not at Charles [Leclerc] and Lewis [Hamilton] pace but we were definitely in the fight for scraps, [fourth, fifth, sixth] and so on.”